The Hidden Despair
by TheLoneHero17
Summary: Despair is right around the corner. Hisato Sasaki, the Ultimate Schemer, joins his classmates during the forced isolation inside Hope's Peak Academy. He unknowingly plays a bigger role in spreading despair amongst the students of Class 78 than he could have ever imagined.
1. Prologue: Welcome to Despair

Hisato Sasaki is one of sixteen students enrolled in Hope Peak Academy this year. He only stepped foot into the school breifly until he suddenly fell unconscious.

He awoke inside an empty classroom. His eyes briefly went hazy. His head hurt, like as if he was run over by a truck.

"Fuck…" Hisato cursed his luck. He was supposed to enjoy his new school. He stretched his body, feeling an ounce of pain rush through his whole body.

Hisato Sasaki, known as the Ultimate Schemer, got his title due to his quick, but underhanded thinking. It also helped that he had connections with the headmaster, but that story is for another day.

Hope's Peak Academy, the prestigious school where extraordinary students are scouted and invited to attend. They were called Ultimates. An Ultimate had to be the absolute best at what they do to be considered as such.

For instance, an Ultimate Boxer might have an amazing undefeated record and sqaured up against notable competition.

Hisato Sasaki just so happened to be the best at devising furtive tactics. He didn't like it, nor did he hate it.

Attending a school filled with eilte students will be worth it in the long run. Upon graduating from the academy, the graduate is guaranteed success in life.

Every highschool student dreamed of attending Hope's Peak Academy, including Hisato.

What he didn't expect was to wake up in the middle of a classroom. Hisato looked around the place, taking notice of his surroundings.

The first thing that struck out was the iron plates sealed shut right where the windows were supposed to be. That alone disturbed Hisato greatly. It reminded him of a prison of sorts.

"What's this?" Next to him, laid a piece of paper with some writing on it. It read:

**The next semester is about to start. Starting today, this school will be your entire world.**

_'What? This school will be my entire world?' _Hisato instantly knew something was up. Regardless, he couldn't find any clues and had no choice but to head to the main hall to get more answers. It was where everyone was supposed to meet anyway.

Stepping out of the classroom, he noted how the lights were dimmed magenta, and the floor had a checkered pattern. The windows along the way were just like the ones in the classroom, bolted iron plates.

Eventually, he came upon the main hall. It's the place where everyone was originally supposed to meet up. Hisato saw that there was only one other person there.

"Eh? Oh thank god, I'm not the only one here!" A girl with blonde hair done in pigtails noticed him walk in. She ran up to him, face filled with panic. Hisato couldn't make it up quite right, but he was pretty damn sure that the unnamed girl was messing with her cleavage, most likely trying to make it look bigger.

_'Ugh… be a gentleman and forget about it.'_

Hisato was about to greet the newcomer before he suddenly stopped. He eyed her closer, staring her down intently.

"What are you doing?" The girl asked uncomfortably.

"Do I know you?" He said bluntly, getting to the point. "You look familiar… have we met before?"

The girl seemed unfazed by this question. "I don't believe we have. I've been on the cover of several magazines. Maybe that's where you've seen me," She said, waving it off.

"Yes. That must be it." Hisato extended his hand forward. "Hisato Sasaki, also known as the Ultimate Schemer, at your service."

The girl took his hand and shook it rapidly, causing his whole body to go up and down. "Ahahaha! I'm Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista! A pleasure to meet you!" Junko introduced herself happily with a wink. Her bubbly demeanor showcased her personality.

"Come to think of it, now I remember my mother reading magazines with you on the cover." Hisato nodded, picturing the magazine in his head.

"Ehehehe~ See? I'm a well-known person after all," Junko replied in a mischievous tone. Her ambience didn't sway him in the slightest.

Her face turned neutral once Hisato glared at her.

"Who are you really?" Hisato didn't buy her little charade anymore. "It took a while to remember. My mother loved those magazines. She bought every issue. I don't remember clearly, but she frequently talked about you on the phone."

He continued, "I would consider that it's just heavy makeup. But something sticks out clear as day. Call me a pervert if you will, but the magazine Junko has a larger chest. I don't believe a girl your age would even get plastic surgery." Hisato threw the facts at her, one by one.

Junko stood there, staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

Then, someone else appeared walking to them, becoming the center of attention.

"O-oh! Um… hello!" A meek girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes. She smiled nervously. "I thought I might've been the only one here for a minute! It's s-so spooky!"

"Hey! I'm Hisato Sasaki, the Ultimate Schemer." Hisato greeted the frail girl. She cautiously approached him.

"My name is Chihiro Fujisaki, th-the Ultimate Programmer!" She squeaked. She turned to Junko next expecting an introduction too. However, Junko ignored her, lost in her own thoughts.

"Ultimate Programmer, huh?" Hisato grinned. "Perhaps there are some computers hanging around somewhere. A library? We can use that to find out why what's going on here." He planned out a scheme in case they didn't get answers.

"Y-yes! I'll do my best!" Chihiro twiddled her small fingers. "Did you wake up in a classroom too?"

Hisato nodded. "I did. All I remember is being accepted to this school and then going unconscious once I stepped foot here." Chihiro's mouth formed an 'O' shape.

"Wow! Me too!" Her bottom lip trembled. "W-what if we were kidnapped? Did you see those iron plates on the windows? The surveillance cameras? Was this all a trick?"

The boy shook his head. "It better not be. I didn't work my ass off just for this to be all a grand scheme that even I couldn't see coming." It'd be hurting his pride. After all, he is the Ultimate Schemer. Seeing through schemes itself was a skill garnered over the years. It may not be one of his own perfected skills, but it's how he saw through Junko's lie with the help of his mother's taste in reading.

"M-maybe this is like an initiation test? To see if we really do have what it takes!" Chihiro guessed.

"I hope so. That's the only logical solution this far." Hisato turned to Junko. "Unless you have any ideas, imposter."

"Imposter?" Chihiro tilted her head, confused.

"She's pretending to be someone she isn't. You've heard of Junko Enoshima, right?"

"O-oh, yes! She's really popular!" Chihiro eyed the other girl in the room. "Is she not her?"

"Nope. Keep an eye on this one. Us non-imposters should stick together." Hisato stood by Chihiro's side. She mumbled something quietly and looked down, guilt present on her face.

"Although, being an Ultimate Imposter does sound pretty cool..." Hisato said thoughtfully.

Junko intervened before he could gather more speculations.

"Ehehe~ I'm not pretending to be someone, silly!" Junko regained her joyful attitude. "We have to apply a ton of makeup for photoshoots to look our best! And some parts of me our photoshopped. You're looking at the all-natural Junko Enoshima!" She tapped them both on the nose with the tip of her finger.

Chihiro smiled brightly. "Ah, yes! That makes sense! Only models would know that type of information!"

The two girls waited for Hisato to give his response.

"You think I'm buying that? If it was something as simple as that, you should've told me way sooner instead of staying silent. You could've been thinking of that excuse for all I know." Hisato refused to believe Junko, spotting the error in her answer.

Puffing her cheeks, Junko smiled innocently and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Telling people that I'm not as perfect as they believe me to be is rather upsetting once they lose interest in me. You wouldn't want to upset me, would you?" She hid the malice in her voice quite well.

Hisato gulped, "I-I guess you're making sense now." He decided to still keep an eye on her anyway. "Can you get off me now?"

"Nope! I'm going to hug you some more!" Junko kept her arms around his neck, much to his discomfort. Chihiro giggled awkwardly.

Another person entered the fray. It was a pale girl dressed in a gothic lolita outfit. Her appearance and the way she carried herself screamed regal. Her hair consisted of two large twin-drill pigtails. Her blood-red eyes scanned over the three curious students.

Hisato coughed, clearly unsettled with her silent staring. Chihiro was as well.

"Good morning?" Hisato greeted anxiously.

"Greetings." The newcomer bowed her head, surprising Hisato and Chihiro. "I am Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance." She focused her attention on the giant vault standing right before them.

"Hisato Sasaki, the Ultimate Schemer." He scratched his head, wondering why he hasn't paid more attention to the obvious giant metal vault. "Do you think those are real guns? Maybe if I wave in front of it, someone will notice."

It didn't take a genius to notice the giant turret guarding the vault. It did its job, installing feelings of nervousness.

"I wouldn't test it if I were you," Celestia warned him with a strange smile. Hisato faltered back, a nervous expression on his face.

"Right… I don't know what I was thinking, Celestia. I-hey! Quit it!" Hisato finally had enough and pushed Junko from him. She giggled at this.

"Call me Celeste. I rather much prefer it if you will." Celeste continued staring at the vault door.

"I'm assuming you woke up in a classroom too?" Hisato asked her. She nodded in silence. "Am I going to get much from you?" Celeste shook her head, causing the Ultimate Schemer to sigh.

"Okay, so those two won't be of much help." Hisato referred to Celeste and Junko. "Got any bright ideas, Chihiro?"

"Eh? M-me?" Chihiro blushed, being put on the spotlight like that.

"I have an idea~" Junko cooed. Hisato tuned out her rambling, loathing himself and the people around him.

_'It'd be nice if someone normal showed up.'_

Right on queue, a large figure made themselves known.

"Uwah! I finally made it!" The figure turned out to be a large guy with glasses panting, most likely from exhaustion. "That hallway gave me the creeps!"

"Oh, hey." Hisato waved at him. The large guy hurried over to them.

"Behold! You're seeing the one and only, Hifumi Yamada in the flesh! For I am the… Ultimate Fanfic Creator!" Hifumi declared proudly, placing his hands on his hips.

"Fanfic Creator?" Hisato deadpanned. He shook it off. After all, this guy was accepted to this school. "A fanfic is just rewriting an already existing story, right?"

Hifumi chuckled arrogantly, "Heh, it's a lot more complicated than that. I don't expect non-fanfic writers to understand."

"Then riddle me this. I'll test your knowledge." Hisato randomly thought of two characters from a random show. "I only ever really liked one franchise. From Pokémon, what's the ship name between Red and Yellow from the manga?"

"Specialshipping of course!" Hifumi's glasses shined brightly as he responded.

"I actually don't know if that's right but I'll take your word for it." Hisato pointed at the vault. "We can talk about our talents later. We have bigger fish to fry. Did you wake up in a classroom?"

Hifumi shivered, seeing the guns attached to the surveillance camera. "Y-yes. I thought I might've fallen asleep finishing up one of my works. I stay up late typing away on my laptop."

The mention of electronics stunned Hisato for a brief second.

Hisato froze. "Wait… do we still have our phones!?" Panic spread throughout the faces of Junko, Chihiro, and Hifumi. They checked their pockets, finding that their phones were no longer on them.

Hisato felt something when he patted down his pants. Remembering that the guns were behind him, he believed it was best to keep it a secret for now.

Too bad Junko caught him in the act.

"What do you have there?" Junko called him out on it.

"Seriously? Ugh. I don't even know what it is." Forced to do so, Hisato pulled out whatever was in his pockets. "Oh!" It was an old flip phone. Hifumi burst out in a fit of giggles at the device. "Hey! Quit laughing! A phone is a phone, is it not!?" Naturally, he felt embarrassed that someone laughed at his old device.

"Wow!" Chihiro eyed the flip phone with wonderment, now that she was stripped of her devices. Celeste watched on, intrigued.

Junko glowered at the phone with mixed emotions.

"What should I look at first? Maybe I should see if I can call my uncle." Hisato quickly realized an issue. "There's no service here! What a useless piece of junk!" With a small bit of hope, he randomly checked his contacts to find his uncle's contact so he could call him.

The moment he did, he felt his blood run cold.

"W-Woah! What the hell!?" Hisato threw the phone across the room. When he did, the guns above them aimed at the cellphone and fired.

"Ahhhhh!" Everyone but Celeste screamed. They backed up in a corner while Celeste took her sweet time joining them.

"W-what did you see!?" Chihiro cried out, hiding behind Junko.

"You won't believe me but scrolled through my contacts and found all four of your names on it!" Hisato crouched down in fear when the guns directed their focus at him. "Sh-shit! Don't shoot the students! I'm sorry for having a phone!"

The guns pointed at Hisato for a bit longer before being powered off once more. He collapsed on his knees, feeling a huge wave of relief pass through him.

"I'm on your phone? I don't remember you though." Chihiro didn't recall ever meeting him before.

"Yeah. Are you just messing with us?" Hifumi accused him of lying.

"While it does sound far fetched, I'm willing to hear you out," Celeste added in, looking over the destroyed bits of his phone.

"What's there to tell? I saw all your fucking names on my list! Is this some kind of prank from you guys?" It was Hisato's turn to point the finger at them.

"I assure you we're just as lost as you," Celeste said, Hifumi and Chihiro nodding along to her words.

"I swear on my life that I saw your names. If that's the case, I guess I'll only trust you four. We must have met each other. How else could I have gotten your info?" Hisato concluded. "I don't know what the hell is going on but I believe the best suit of action is to keep this between our little inner circle. What do you all say?"

Chihiro was the first to respond. "I-I agree! I've gone through the logs to find out who'll be attending this school before I came here. There are at least ten other students left."

"Hmm? While I do not wish to form a pairing, you might be right." Hifumi placed his hand on his chin, thinking wisely.

"No." Was all Celeste said, rejecting his proposal.

"Fine. Just know you're welcome anytime unless you tell someone about it." Hisato couldn't let her off the hook so easily. He didn't know why, but he and Celestia Ludenberg had formed a friendship in the past… somehow. She was under the name, Celeste, the name she very much preferred being called. It was her choice in the end.

"Okay, so it's just us three." Hisato reluctantly turned to Junko. "And you if you want. We got on the wrong foot. I blame myself for that. You were at the top of my most recent contacts to contact me so… I guess we knew each other too? I don't really know how I have a model's number though."

Junko presented a huge grin. "Who knows? Maybe we were the best of friends~"

"Yeah. Maybe." Hisato and her formally shook hands. "Sorry for calling you out again. The possibility of us being kidnapped has just been making me paranoid."

"Water under the bridge! Hehehe! I look forward to getting to know you!" Junko did a peace sign with one hand.

Chihiro clapped her hands, glad that there wasn't any more tension between the two.

In the middle of their reconciliation, another person appeared.

"Ah! It's good to see students eager to learn by arriving early!" A guy with short, spiky black hair and red eyes came into view. He wore what appeared to be a uniform colored white. "My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass! If you like, call me Taka!" Taka boomed, his voice loud and stern. He bowed his head.

"Hey? I'm Hisato Sasaki, the Ultimate Schemer," Hisato awkwardly introduced himself.

Taka's brows furrowed. "The Ultimate Schemer? I hope you're not planning anything devious! I'll have to report you to the principal if you do!" He warned him.

"Geez. Relax." Hisato winced.

"I do not relax! I'm here for educational purposes only!" Taka saluted to no one in particular.

"Don't mind him. We should talk more about this… the group we're forming," Junko whispered in his ear so that Taka couldn't eavesdrop.

_'I have to get on his good side. Then, when the time is right, I'll strike and take matters into my own hand.' _Junko already had everything planned out. The person she admires is bound to appreciate this. They just had to.

"You should always look someone in the eye when you speak to them!" Taka barked at Chihiro, causing her to cower back. "And you! Stop shoving your finger up your nose! That is completely inappropriate!" Hifumi jumped in fright now that he was caught in the act.

"It's not looking so good so far. I hate dead weight." Hisato frowned. "I should start planning ahead in case I see no use in them anymore."

Junko smiled, clasping her hands together. "Ooh! That won't happen to little 'ol me, will it?"

"Depends. Do you want to drop that peppy attitude and get serious?" Hisato narrowed his eyes. "I did it all the time. As one schemer to another, don't try to psych me out. You'll regret it. I'll _always_ be one step ahead of you."

The arrogance in his voice pissed Junko off. She had the urge to strangle him then and there but held it off. Now she can see why someone would have so much interest in him. He was a damn Schemer for pete's sake. He can pull things off secretly. Plus, he talked about potentially breaking off the alliance so quick. Underhanded tactics at its best.

"Fine~ You caught me~" Junko hugged him close. She dug her fingernails deep within his shoulders. "I may be more than what meets the eye! A girl has her secrets."

"Knew it." Hisato smiled, despite the pain, Junko's fingernails were inflicting on him. "So who are you really?"

"I'm still the same person."

"Thought so. I can help you if you want, for a price." He laid out his suggestion, turning serious. He wasn't the Ultimate Schemer for nothing. "I want your loyalty."

"What makes you think I need something?" Junko asked.

Before Hisato could respond, another person came by. He had orange spiked hair, a goatee, and pale blue eyes. He wore a white blazer jacket with a white shirt.

"Greetings!" Taka yelled at his face. The newcomer smiled awkwardly as he introduced himself.

"Yo! The name's Leon Kuwata, Ultimate Baseball Player!" Leon introduced himself to everyone. He was forced to spark up a conversation with Taka.

"I'm calling a meeting now." Hisato beckoned Chihiro and Hifumi over. "Since we're going to be here for a while. We should stick together and scout any potential danger."

"Y-yes! That sounds ideal!" Chihiro agreed.

"Hmm… while I was thinking of my next piece of work, I suppose I can do that since you're begging." Hifumi grinned cockily, knowing that his services were needed.

Junko giggled, "We'll all be the best of friends." Everyone in the small group liked the idea.

"Right. I'm trusting all of you because of the list I found on my phone. I don't know how I got them but I hope we'll figure it out together," Hisato said.

Leon approached them, eying them suspiciously. "What's going on here?"

Hifumi was the one who answered. "We're discussing the cute pairing of Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga!" His quick response impressed Hisato. "I'm the Ultimate Fanfic Creator after all. I must not lose focus!"

Leon looked at them oddly. "Right… well, I was just curious."

"Yes, yes. If you don't mind, we'll continue discussing the world of _Narudo_." Junko dismissed the nosy Ultimate Baseball Player.

A tick mark appeared on Hifumi's forehead. "It's _Naruto_, not Narudo!" Junko hid behind Hisato, sticking her tongue out at the Ultimate Fanfic Creator.

A pair of heavy footsteps could be felt from the floor. The heavy footsteps were coming their way. Everyone braced themselves for the intimidating newcomer.

A tall, muscular girl with long white hair stepped into the main hall. Her large muscles easily intimidated some of the students present.

"I'm Sakura Ogami." Her deep voice could mistake her as a man. None were brave enough to ask what gender Sakura was, fearing that they'll be beaten severely. "Hmph. None of you look like an appropriate sparring partner."

Leon bravely stepped up. "Why would you need a sparring partner at school?"

"School?" Sakura crossed her arms. "This is far from school. If you twigs are smart, you'd of figured that out already. And, I'm the Ultimate Martial Artist. I need to find a sparring partner to maintain my skill."

Taka angrily clenched his fist. "You better take that back! This is a school whether you like it or not. Don't speak ill of Hope's Peak Academy!" One look from Sakura caused Taka to take it back. "B-but, you are allowed to have your own opinions. Just don't let the principal hear you."

Sakura glanced at the guns planted on the surveillance cameras. She compared the size of the guns with her own fist, wondering if she could crush it. She ultimately shook her head, not finding a good enough reason to do so.

"Damn, she's big." Hisato examined Sakura carefully. One would be foolish to even cross her.

"Aye! She's scary looking!" Hifumi yelped.

"I bet you know of a way to handle her, Ultimate Schemer~," Junko said to Hisato, referring to him by his title.

"Honestly, I've already thought of eleven different ways to handle her," Hisato revealed, shocking both Hifumi and Chihiro. Junko only nodded, expecting this from him. "But I don't know what supplies are here, so it shortens it down to six."

"Wow… you really are the Ultimate Schemer…" Chihiro said in amazement.

"Yeah. By the way. Does anyone know who the hell Taeko Yasuhiro is?" As soon as the name slipped out of his mouth, Hisato felt himself being pushed against the wall. A hand with sharp fingernails were hovering near his throat.

The culprit was none other than the mysterious Celestia Ludenberg. Unlike her relatively calm nature, her face was filled with rage.

"Where did you hear that name!?" She demanded. Junko and Chihiro tried to pull her off of him but to no avail, even with Hifumi's help.

_'Ah. Well, at least I know they're here for me.'_ Hisato thought, liking that the alliance was there for him.

"I saw it on my phone! Honest! I just thought one of you would know since you four were on my contacts!" Hisato replied truthfully. "The name is on the bottom of the list. I-I think I don't speak to them anymore maybe."

"Were there any dates on that piece of scrap?" Hifumi asked.

"I didn't have any time to check. The only thing that caught my eye first was your names." Hisato gulped. "Can you let go of me now? Geez. I didn't think you'd be this mad over a name. Did you know Taeko?"

Celeste let go after staring at his eyes for a few seconds. Looking deep into her blood-red eyes was not a pleasant experience, especially when she's mad.

"No." Celeste left it at that, not explaining her reasoning for attacking Hisato anyway. His back skidded down the wall, landing on the ground after the dangerous encounter.

Hifumi offered him a hand.

"Thanks." Hisato accepted it, getting back to his feet. "Remind me not to say that name again."

"Bet you didn't have a plan for that one, did you?" Junko said cheekily.

"I do now."

Taka began to scold Celeste for harming another student. She ignored him of course, setting her eyes on Hisato, now more cautious and interested in his little group.

"So you can barely stand a chance against a girl?" Sakura mused, shaking her head.

"For the record, I didn't even see it coming! That's totally not fair!" Hisato defended himself.

"One should always be prepared in case of a surprise attack," Sakura smirked. Hisato knew he couldn't really fire back against someone of her build, so he bit back his retort.

"Hey!" A new person ran up to the growing group of students. This time, it was a tanned brunette with blue eyes. She wore a red tracksuit over a white tank top along with a pair of blue athletic shorts.

"Woah!" Hifumi's nose began to bleed. He eyed her chest perversely.

"Dude!" Hisato nudged Hifumi's shoulder, gesturing him to quit looking.

"Hi! It's wonderful to see that a lot of us are safe! Though, I do feel this is a bit too surreal." The newcomer stared at the vault and guns nervously. "Anyway. I'm Aoi Asahina! I prefer if you all called me Hina if you don't mind."

"I most certainly don't!" Hifumi gushed over the new girl. Junko slapped the back of his head, breaking his perverted thoughts.

To everyone surprise, Hina went towards Sakura and started to talk to her.

"Brave girl." Hisato thought about something. "You know. After orientation, we should establish some rules for our group."

Junko yawned, "We have another Ishimaru among us." She punched his arm. "Lighten up."

"I will not lighten up. I'm establishing rules for those that betray our group," He revealed darkly. "If you decide to double-cross us, you'll automatically get kicked out and face… consequences. If you expose any of our plans, you will be exposed too. And if you even so much as pin something on one of your own, well… let's just say you should sleep with one eye open."

Hisato observed each other their reactions. Chihiro looked nervous, Hifumi nodded, understanding the rules. Junko smiled strangely, but he didn't really focus on her too much.

Laying down the rules, everyone was willing to accept the rules. Though, there were some questions.

"You know, you make it sound like being in this group is everything. What do we get out of it? Why should we join?" Hifumi questioned.

"For one, you get back up. Power in numbers and all that. I believe that's more than sufficient until we find out what's going on here. Besides, we need someone of your caliber," Hisato responded.

A shiny glint appeared on the lenses of Hifumi's glasses. He adjusted them, chuckling arrogantly. "Why, yes! Someone of my amazing skills is needed for this group. Yes. You have my full attention now."

Junko leaned close to Hisato. "You're just going to use him as a body shield, aren't you?"

"That's only a small part of the reason. I have two other reasons. He seems like a loyal type of person and we're friends in a way. All of us. I don't really trust anyone else."

"Should I be glad that I'm being included in this group of yours?" Junko remarked.

Hisato turned around, his back facing Junko. "Obviously. Wouldn't want an enemy this early, would you?" He didn't forget about earlier. "No questions from you, Chihiro?"

"N-none I can think of right now," Chihiro said bashfully.

"Great. Now we must disperse. We've already been getting enough stares as it is." Knowing he was right, Hifumi and Chihiro left to a different area of the main hall. "That goes for you too, Junko."

"Aww. You don't want me with you?" Junko stood by Hisato, not leaving. "That's fine, _Sato-chan._ I'm not leaving no matter what you tell me. Ehehe~"

Hisato froze. "What… what did you just call me?"

Junko soon realized her mistake and quickly tried to save it. "I said that's fine _Hisato_. I'm not leaving no matter what you tell me?" She said in a questioning tone, to sound more believable.

"R-right…" Hisato rubbed his temples. "I really do think this situation we're in is fucking with my brain."

While he was talking to Junko, they didn't notice that two more students were already amongst them.

"Hehe! It's fine! It's surely just a test. Nothing to worry about. It's already been foretold by me, the Ultimate Clairvoyant!" The thing that stood out the most was his hair, which seemed to be mysteriously floating. He held a crystal ball in his hand.

"Clairvoyant? Can you predict what I'll do next, Hagakure?" Hina asked excitedly.

"Please, of course I can!" Hiro closed his eyes, shaking the crystal ball in his hands. "You're going to blink right… now!"

Hina blinked. Her face lit up like a christmas tree. "Wow! So cool!"

"Don't spit on the floor! The school works hard to maintain such sanitary conditions!" Taka scolded the other newcomer, who was a tall, slightly tanned skin guy with a pair of purple eyes. He wore a long black overcoat, adding to his intimidating appearance.

"You're worried about sanitation?! Look at where we are! There are fucking guns up there!"

"Security precautions, Owada-kun. Of course, an academy of such prestige will make sure to get rid of any threats!" Taka gritted his teeth, Mondo doing the same. It seemed that they were the first two students to be arguing.

"Hmph. Seems like people are already acting like rambunctious apes." A new voice spoke up. He was a tall, blonde guy with blue eyes and wore white-framed glasses. His formal attire earned him quite a few stares of curiosity.

"What the hell did you just call me!?" Mondo snapped.

Taka ignored the newcomer's remark. "Good morning to you too! I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru and I formally welcome you to the main hall!"

The blond took a peek at the giant metal vault. "Right. I'm Byakuya Togami." Taka expected him to say more, but he merely stared at him. "We're done with introductions now, right?"

Taka snapped out of it. "If that's all you have to say then yes! I wouldn't want you to-" Byakuya brushed past Taka, eliciting the Ultimate Moral Compass to shut up.

"Oh man. I didn't know a Togami was going to be here," Hisato muttered. Everyone knew the Togami family. It was impossible not to be familiar with one of the most successful and richest families.

Hisato saw someone else peeking at Byakuya from behind a corner. "Hey! Who are you?"

The figure let out a yelp as everyone now had their eyes on them. The figure slowly emerged from the corner, revealing themselves as a girl with long two braided purple hair and large round glasses.

"What?! I can tell you're already judging my face!" The girl yelled at Hisato. "You think I'm ugly, don't you!?"

Taken aback, Hisato backed up some. "Well… I wouldn't call you ugly by any means… not at all."

"You're trying to seduce me now, aren't you?! You want to have your way with me! Well, it won't work!"

"Uh…" Hisato sweatdropped. "Okay…?" Deciding it be best to avoid the girl, Hisato didn't bother asking for a name, finding it much easier to find out from someone else.

"Way to go Romeo." Junko rolled her eyes.

"Shut it!" Junko giggled at his temper. "There should be three of us left if I'm correct. Let's just sneak to the gym early. We can scout for some clues before orientation," He proposed.

Junko tilted her head to the side. "If you're trying to seduce me now…"

"I swear you girls and your seducing accusations." Hisato shook his head. "I'll just go on my own then." He ventured off into the unknown, leaving Junko secretly smirking.

* * *

Hisato wandered around the halls before eventually finding a tall pair of double doors in his path. He knew it was the gym so he opened the doors.

Not surprisingly, all of the openings and windows were guarded by iron plates. There was a stage at the very front end of the gym with red curtains. On the stage was a podium with seats in front of the stage. Enough seats for everyone.

_'Huh. So we are really having an orientation.' _Hisato walked around the gym, scouting for any potential threats like the guns at the main hall.

The first thing he checked was the floor. As someone who knew their way around the ropes, hiding something in the floor is the number one thing to look out for. It could be a trap waiting for someone to walk on.

As expected, one of the planks of wood was loose. His first course of action was to pry the wood off and see what was under there.

With all his strength, Hisato pulled back the loose plank of wood as hard as he could. People like Mondo and Sakura would have no trouble doing this. Unfortunately, Hisato didn't have monster strength.

"Haaa!" Letting out a cry, he yanked the wood plank back. He managed to do so, falling on his back with the plank of wood in his arms.

Setting the wood to the side, Hisato peeked inside the small opening.

"What the fuck?" Under the floor was a well-built room barricaded with steel plates on the walls, except for the ceiling of course. In the middle of the room, laid several items of possessions, ranging from some comics, a microphone, a laptop, a baseball, books, a dumbbell, a crystal ball, and a tea set. Those were the only things he could detect from the dark room. The gym lights brightened only a portion of it.

What shocked him, even more, was the fact that there was a knife taped right behind the plank of wood that he detached. A combat knife to be exact.

Peeling off the knife, Hisato gently grazed his fingers along the edge, testing its sharpness.

_'What the hell is all of this? The school shouldn't allow any of this here. Why is this here in the first place?'_

Hisato knew he couldn't dwell on the matter much longer. The principal could catch him, or his classmates. He attached the combat knife to his chest with the tape that came along with it. Concealing the weapon is the best choice of action. Who knew when he'd need it.

He quickly boarded the plank of wood back on the ground. While not perfect, the wood fitted the hole just right to make it undetectable from the human eye. But, if someone were to step on it, then that's a different story. Luckily, it was far off to the side, so no one should step on it unless they absolutely had to.

The doors of the gym opened. Hisato jumped to his feet and acted as if he stood there the entire time.

"See? He's right there," Junko said, alerting him. Hisato turned around to see all the students from the main hall, including two brand new faces. A girl with blue hair and another one with lavender hair. He paid them little attention, more focused on getting to the bottom of the secret room that he discovered.

"Hey, do I know you from somewhere?" Much to his annoyance, the blue-haired girl walked up to him.

"Nope. Don't know you."

"Are you sure? You look really familiar…"

"Yes I'm sure. Buzz off." Hisato waved his hand at her, gesturing her to move it along.

The girl puffed out her cheeks. "I was only asking…"

"Yes, and I'm asking you to leave. Good day." In truth, Hisato wanted her to back off because she was nearing the area where the secret room was located.

"You heard what the guy said. Beat it!" Hifumi and Chihiro rushed over to assist Hisato.

"Y-yes! Our Lord wishes to be left alone!" Chihiro added in.

Hisato sweatdropped. "Lord?"

The small girl's face reddened. "Did I say that aloud? Ehehehe…" Chihiro slowly hid behind Hifumi.

"Are you two his lap dogs? You shouldn't have him order you around." The blue-haired girl frowned. "My name is Sayaka Maizono. As the Ultimate Pop Sensation, I think it's only right to tell you this."

Hisato chuckled, "Order them around? I didn't even tell them anything. They're my equals, not my lapdogs." He stood among his two allies. "So, Ultimate Pop Sensation, your words mean nothing to them!"

Sayaka glanced at Hifumi and Chihiro. Both bore apologetic faces. Huffing, Sayaka returned back to the others.

"Yeesh. You're making a lot of enemies Hisato. It's only the first day." Junko snorted, joining the three.

Hisato scanned the students, finding them minding their own business. He huddled everyone up.

"Listen, guys. I found something incredible in here. Like seriously, you won't believe it." Hisato whispered, catching their interests. "I found a-"

The doors of the gym burst wide open. Standing out the doorway was a short boy with spiky brown hair and hazel eyes. This boy is the last student of the class, counting all sixteen of them now present in the gym.

Almost everyone tensed up, but after they saw him, they relaxed.

"Uhh… excuse me!" The newcomer nervously said.

"Cool. This will make sixteen of us." Hiro smiled. He scratched his head. "What can I predict now?"

Hifumi discreetly returned back into the fray. "Yo! This everyone? Maybe now we'll get some answers."

"I'll tell you all later. Let's just blend in with the others." Hisato, Junko, and Chihiro did just that, following Hifumi's lead.

"Aha!" Taka pointed a finger at the newcomer. "Instructions says eight-o'clock sharp! You have no excuse for your tardiness!" The newcomer flinched at the tone of Taka's voice.

"Yeah. Can you just not?" Junko rolled her eyes, glaring at the Ultimate Moral Compass. "Who gives a flying flip about being on time? None of us even know why we're here."

"Yeah, Taka. Lighten up." Hisato chimed in. For some reason, he felt like he was being scanned by the newcomer. "I think you're the crazy one for still thinking that this is a safe environment."

"I don't want to hear anything from another troublemaker!" Hisato received the wrath of Taka's pointer finger. "You sneaked off and came here on your own!"

"Showing up early is a good thing…?" Hisato's words did nothing to calm Taka down.

"Sato-kun!" The newcomer's eyes widened as if recognizing Hisato.

Junko sweated a bit.

"The hell did you call me?" Hisato responded back, irritated. "How do you know my name?"

"I-It's me, Makoto Naegi! You don't remember me? We went to the same middle school. We had tons of classes together, all three years!" Makoto informed him, looking a little hurt by his comment.

"Middle school…" Hisato's face twisted in anger. "I don't know you! Stop pretending already! I've never seen you in my life!"

Junko smirked.

"Question," Chihiro spoke up after seeing the distress Makoto was causing on Hisato. "Did you happen to wake up in a classroom by yourself?"

"I did. No idea how I got there," Makoto replied, getting over his failed reunion with Hisato.

"That's what I thought. That's exactly what happened to us."

"Sudden unconsciousness, only to converge upon the gym upon awakening." Celeste smiled, amused. "Fabulously peculiar."

Mondo gritted his teeth. "Yeah. That's the word. Reminds me of the days we had back at juvie."

"Except this time we got kidnapped." Leon frowned. His frown shifted into an awkward smile. "Hey! Maybe they'll auction off our organs!" He chuckled dryly, not helping the situation whatsoever.

Hina jumped forward, pumped her fists back and forth. "Think positive! It's a motivational program! This is supposed to be a special school, right?"

Sakura folded her arms. "It's difficult to say. I suggest that we first assess our situation."

Makoto hesitantly inclined his head. "Okay…"

Hisato noticed that Makoto had his eyes on the girl he learned is named Toko.

"He's going to make a fool of himself as I did." Hisato wandered off from his classmates. Junko followed him, planning to mess with him for a while.

After some much awkward introductions, Makoto settled on talking to Sayaka, whom he was familiar with too. He hoped things with her didn't end up like with Hisato.

She seemed to recognize him, so maybe it'll turn up good.

"Wait… you actually remember me?" Makoto's cheeks flushed brightly.

Sayaka giggled, "Of course I do silly! After all, we did go to the same school for three years." She held up three fingers.

Makoto nervously put his hands above his head. "Oh, believe me, I know." He looked over at Hisato. "It's just that Sato-kun doesn't remember me, so I thought you wouldn't either."

"Hisato Sasaki! Yes! That's his name!" Sayaka's face brightened. "Now I remember where I knew him from. Us three went to the same middle school. He tried to pull a prank on the music club that one time." She remembered the prank all too well because she was at the receiving end of it.

"Weren't you two friends?" She asked.

"That's the thing. He's acting like he's never seen me before. At least, I hope he's acting." Makoto's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"That's not right. I may have not known him as much as you did, but I know for certain that he's just playing one of his pranks on you. He has to be!" Sayaka reassured him with determination in her eyes.

"Maybe." Makato shyly rubbed the back of his head, feeling quite shy from being around Sayaka.

"If you two are quite done flirting, we can move on to more pressing matters." Byakuya interrupted the two in the middle of their conversation.

"Such as?"

Byakuya sighed, "Such as our current situation. Someone has collected us here for a reason."

Toko pulled on her hair, panicking. "We're all essentially prisoners!"

"You think the least they can do is give me back my cellphone. It's like totally barbaric," Junko groaned, a look of boredom present on her face.

Those who weren't present during the phone situation back at the main hall gasped and checked their pockets. True to Junko's words, their cellphones were no longer with them.

"Well, I had my cell phone until someone had to call me out on it! Then it got blasted by the guns at the main hall!" Hisato glared at Junko, still angry that his phone got destroyed because of her and her big mouth.

"Your f-fliphone!" Hifumi snickered. Hearing that, others joined in.

Hisato's cheeks flushed. "A phone is a phone! I still had mine so shut up!" He decided not to tell anyone else about what he found just because of that.

"My phone is missing as well. Does this mean that they're confiscated?" Sakura asked aloud.

Hiro placed a hand on his chin, thinking. "Yeah… no. There's no way. They'll give us our stuff back after orientation. I'm sure of it." He pulled out his crystal ball and showed it to everyone. "In fact, it's already been foretold!"

Leon sneered, "Dude, please. A crystal ball?"

"I'm dead on thirty percent of the time!" Hiro bragged, wearing a cocky smirk.

Toko laughed, "Isn't that impressive?" Before Hiro could retort, the sound of a microphone dropping blared through their ears.

"Testing! Mic check! Mic check! One two! Everyone hear me okay on this thing?" The voice came from the large speaker on the stage. "Hiya kiddos! It's time to roll out the welcome wagon! Not literally of course. Not even sure what that means. But you get it!"

Hiro was the first to get over his initial shock. "See? We're not prisoners. This is just how they do things here at Hope's Peak!"

"Well, you're half right," Kyoko said. Not everyone caught it. They were too engrossed by the new voice that could answer their questions.

Music began to play. A bear suddenly sprang out from the stage. One side of it was white while the other side was black. It's left eye was red and somewhat closed. The bear landed on the podium.

"What the fuck?" Hisato couldn't believe his eyes. Their principal was a fucking bear. A talking one to be more exact.

"I know what you all are thinking and no! I am not a high tech Build-a-bear reject." The bear pointed at himself. "I am the principal of this illustrious institution. Monokuma! Please to meet ya!" Monokuma introduced himself to his students.

Naturally, Hifumi freaked out. "I had a nightmare just like this once!" He blurted out, receiving a few strange looks.

"Young man. Have some respect if you please. Monokuma, your principal!" Monokuma repeated. "Yes yes! Like nothing like you have ever seen before. Uncanny. Unsettling even! Yadda yadda, moving right along! Give your principal your snappiest good morning!"

Being the model student that he is, Taka bowed his head. "Good morning, principal sir!"

"Please don't encourage it!" Toko shrieked.

"That will have to do I suppose. Anyway, welcome bright young things to your new living quarters! Now before you get all up to me, rest assured it's for your own good. Mustn't let the outside world throw that dazzling in your spark! We got this place sealed in."

Monokuma continued his lecture, "So now you're wondering how long you'll be guests for the rest of our program. Approximately… **the rest of your lives!** Oh yeah, by new living quarters I meant **permanent** living quarters!"

"You can't be serious."

"We'll be here forever?" Leon and Chihiro shared Hisato's confusion.

"Aw. Don't fret. We have an astronomical budget. Your needs will be satisfied," Monokuma reassured them kindly.

"That's not the issue! What if we have families?" Sayaka cried out, none too pleased with this new arrangement.

"No! Just no!" Junko protested.

Hisato scratched his head. "I mean… he did say our needs will be satisfied. I don't know about you guys but my life was pretty shitty. Hehe. I'm kinda glad we're sealed off in here now," He chuckled, knowing his own reasoning as to why he didn't want to be outside.

Junko slapped his arm. "You can't be serious! Don't you have family waiting for you!?"

"Erm… my parents and I aren't on speaking terms right now. I don't think we'll ever be." Hisato coughed, focusing back at Monokuma. "So the iron plates on the windows all around the school is so we can't make any outside interaction with the outside world?"

"Bingo! You're in here for keepsies! You can scream all you want, no one outside will hear you." Hisato nodded, much to everyone else's discomfort because of how well he was taking in the situation.

"Forgive me if I suggest this to be less than ideal but to spend the rest of our natural lives confined like this?" Even Celeste opposed the conditions, leaving only Hisato as the one unopposed.

"Natural lives? Oh, that's rich. Actually, for those who wish to leave. There is a loophole," Monokuma said cheekily.

"Enlighten us," Byakuya requested.

"Good old fashioned murder!" Monokuma jumped down to the floor, doing flips as he descended down. "Yes! The student that kills a classmate… and gets away with it will be permitted to walk out of here scott free!"

Hisato let out an elated laugh, spooking everyone out.

"So you say we can kill? Any way we want?" Hisato asked excitedly.

"Is he actually serious!?" Hiro exclaimed, frightened. He, along with most of the other students distanced themselves from Hisato and his grinning face.

"Yes!" Monokuma nodded.

"Poison? Bludgeon? Lethal injection? Point blank shot? Stabbing?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Monokuma got more happy at the suggestions that Hisato was putting out there.

"I knew he was trouble!" Leon gulped.

"Crucifixion? Hanging? Strangling? Cannibalism?" The last one earned horrified looks from his classmates.

"Yes! Yes! All of the above! What a great student you are!" Monokuma praised the Ultimate Schemer.

_'Fuck that! This bear is trouble! I must dispose of it at once!' _Hisato faked his excitement in order to lower Monokuma's guard down.

Hisato walked towards his principal, bowing down. "Great. Great… because my first victim is you!" He lunged at the bear, grabbing the knife he secretly hid under his shirt.

He had no idea what he was doing. He never held a knife for the purposing of harming another in his life. His body reacted on its own, as if it knew what it was doing without his knowledge.

"Ah! Wait! Attacking the principal is strictly against the rules under no circumstances!" Monokuma cried out but it was too late. Hisato sliced his head off cleanly.

The head plopped on the floor with an audible clunck, much to the students' horror.

"Phew. Now that that's all taken care of…" Hisato turned back to his classmates. All of their eyes were fixated on the combat knife in his hands. None more curious than Junko herself. "I say we go find the real principal and get the hell out of here."

A strange beeping sound came from Monokuma's corpse. Not taking any chances, Hisato punt kicked the bear far. The body would later explode mid-flight, shocking the ultimates.

"Tut tut. You should learn to respect your principal!" A brand new Monokuma bounced off the stage. Hisato carefully got into a stance, ready to defend himself. "But since it's you _Sato-chan_, I'll let you off with a verbal warning. Next time you'll have to face punishment for breaking the rules!"

Hisato's left eye twitched. "The hell did you just call me?!"

Monokuma was the least of his troubles right now.

"What the hell man?! Why do you have a knife on you?!" Mondo demanded an answer, giving him a menacing glare.

"That is a complete violation of the rules and should be confiscated immediately for potentially being a threat to the school!" Taka growled, still convinced that this was a school despite everything that Monokuma has told them.

"Nope! It is allowed!" Monokuma revealed. "I don't know where you got that from but have fun swinging that puppy at your classmates, Sato-chan!"

"Dammit! Stop calling me that!" Monokuma cackled like a maniac. "Plus, it's not like I'm going to kill anyone with it. I'd never kill anyone in my life." Monokuma only laughed harder at his comment, rolling on the floor.

"Dude." Leon put his hand out. A good chunk of the students stood with him. "Hand that kitchen knife over. We don't want you hurting people."

Hisato clenched his fists. "First off, it's not a kitchen knife. It's obviously a combat knife. Secondly, I'm not hurting anyone with it. Thirdly, I'm not handing it over. One of you shits might kill me first!"

"No one is going to kill anyone but you if you still have that knife! So fork it over!" Leon approached him dangerously.

"How am I supposed to know that? I haven't been doing anything and you all have been accusing me of something for no reason! Just because I'm the Ultimate Schemer doesn't mean I'm the _Darth Vader _of this school." Hisato clenched onto the knife in his hand tighter.

"All we're asking is to hand over the knife and we won't be so wary around you anymore," Hiro said, trying to defuse the situation.

"This knife is staying with me whether you all like it or not." Hisato placed the knife right back under his shirt. "Don't lie. You all have been scouting at least one person in this gym to go out for!"

Everyone remained quiet.

"I know who I'm being careful of. I have the right to keep this knife to myself." Monokuma whined, sad to not see any murders happen after all.

"Just let him have the stupid knife. You all can get your own weapons later anyhow." Junko backed him up. She recognized the knife he had all too well.

"I don't think you're understanding it either. We don't want weapons here at all!" Leon cried out. "None of us will kill each other. It's not something we'll resort to just because the bear says it."

"That's principal to you!" Monokuma corrected.

Hifumi spoke up, "You're only saying that because you two are buddies!" He threw Junko and Hisato under the bus in order to draw suspicion away from himself. Hisato couldn't even be mad. He would've done the same thing too.

"Yeah! That's right!" Mondo agreed.

"Don't be a bunch of sour apples! I think forming friendships already is a wonderful thing!" Hina argued, smiling at the two.

"Until one of them backstabs the other… literally…" Leon muttered under his breath.

"Ugh! Fine! I'll get rid of the knife!" Hisato threw the knife right at Chihiro, who screamed and ducked. "Catch." He said all too late. "Keep that knife for me."

"Don't throw the knife at her!" Sayaka gasped. Chihiro curled up in a ball, her life flashing before her eyes. The knife was lodged right beside her.

"It'll be better off with me." Celeste went over and picked up the knife. "That won't be a problem, will it?" She asked Hisato.

While Hisato shook his head, everyone else disapproved.

"That knife is mine! I'll make sure to keep it in good hands!" Taka promised.

"No way! It belongs to someone familiar with it like me!" Mondo roared.

"I don't want something as hideous as that." Byakuya shook his head.

Sakura cracked her large knuckles. "I got all that I need naturally."

Monokuma rubbed his paws together, enjoying the atmosphere. Everyone was fighting over a simple knife.

"Guys!" Makoto garnered everyone's attention. "Don't you see what's happening? We're already playing his game! He wants us to fight. Look how happy he is!" He pointed at the giggling Monokuma.

"Whaaat? Little 'ol me? Why I would _never_ plan something like this!"

"Let Celeste keep the knife. I trust it'll be good in her possession," Kyoko said aloud. Celeste smiled, placing a hand over her lips.

Hearing Makoto out, the students stopped arguing.

"I shouldn't have given it up." Hisato eyed the combat knife. He had no form of self-defense now.

Junko pulled him to the side and hugged him. "Not to worry~" She secretly handed him another combat knife that she kept in her pockets.

What no one knew is that she disappeared too shortly after Hisato. She had an interesting talk with the principal. It all summed up to her next goal.

Of course, the principal wasn't so nice to her. She didn't mind, she dealt with it long enough that the insults don't hurt her anymore.

Hisato's eyes widened. "You're the one with the knives? A dangerous supermodel indeed." He took the combat knife from Junko and slid it under his shirt. "Thanks. I can already tell those bastards are going to single me out. Now I'm kinda glad we're friends."

"Friends? You're still on that?"

"Of course! First the thing on my phone, and now you're giving me your knife for protection. Hehe. You care about me!" Instead of Junko doing the hug, Hisato initiated it first.

"Put me down!" Junko raked her nails on his neck.

"Ow! Fine!" Hisato let go of her and inspected his neck. "Geez. I thought you were all about being friends, Junko. By the way, when did you hide that knife? I found it underneath a wood plank while investigating the gym."

"Wood plank? Now I know you actually did lose your…" Junko paused. A moment of realization struck her like a bullet. She quickly glanced at the general area where the knife originally was.

Hisato missed this.

_'I completely forgot about that!' _Junko cursed herself for forgetting something so crucial.

"This now concludes the introductory portion of your orientation, boys and girls." Monokuma, sad not to see anyone meet their doom, decided it was best to leave. "Here's to you all enjoying a fun filling and not exactly long life here at Hope's Peak Academy!" Monokuma disappeared by going down the podium, ending the orientation.

Everyone shared their thoughts on the situation. No one was on board with the idea of killing. It was preposterous. They obviously weren't going to kill a soul for freedom. Yet, they all felt anxious as to who would actually take it seriously.

"No… it's a joke." Chihiro tried to convince herself that it was all some big joke. Though, by now, everyone knew that this was serious.

"Ha! A joke it may very well be. That doesn't alleviate my concern as to whether one of you takes it at face value," Byakuya said, eying Hisato suspiciously. Doing so, other people followed his lead.

"The hell?! I don't even have the knife anymore!" Hisato grew frustrated over his classmates' insistence that he'd be the killer. "Screw all of you people. I'm going to my room to take a nap."

Leon shook his head. "No way! You could be scheming on which one of us to kill!"

"Fuck you." Hisato flipped him off as he made his way to the doors. "Aye! You three! I got something to tell you so you best follow me. There's no way out of here. Face the facts already. As someone who excels at this type of stuff, I don't see any form of escape here."

"That's not true! If we band together and-" Taka started but he was interrupted when Junko exposed herself as one of Hisato's friends. She silently walked towards the doors too.

"Coming, Mr. Sasaki!" Hifumi hurriedly rushed over to the forming alliance they made.

The students looked at each other, wondering who the third person could be.

"V-very well!" Chihiro nodded and followed suit.

"Seriously?!" Leon exclaimed worriedly.

"I don't think he's that dangerous," Makoto said, much to Leon's dismay.

"Same here. Even if he is a bit rude," Sayaka chimed in.

Sakura nodded. "We shouldn't be quick to point fingers. We haven't even seen him do anything except trying to kill the principal."

"That's a good thing! The bear is evil!" Hina agreed.

Meanwhile, Hisato, Junko, Hifumi, and Chihiro were walking along the hallway where the rooms were located.

"Say, this thing is pretty neat. It has just about everything you'd want to know about me." Hisato looked at his electronic handbook. It consisted of his full name, his title, age, height, weight, to name a few.

"It certainly is." Hifumi showed him his own electronic handbook. Once done, Hisato glanced at the two girls.

"Please don't look at mine!" Chihiro squeaked, hiding her own handbook with a fearful expression on her face.

Junko flaunted her hair around. "There's no point in looking at each other's stupid handbooks. Look, there's your room right there." She pointed at the incoming door with Hisato's nameplate on it.

"Sweet." Hisato dismissed the girls' failure to comply, seeing it as a girl thing or something. He opened the door and was greeted by the sight of a basic looking room with a few average posters. His room even had its own bathroom.

"Anyway, I came here to discuss what I found in the gym."

"The gym? Shouldn't we have stayed behind then?" Chihiro inquired.

"No. Those people are against me. It's safer to relocate in my room," He responded. He never planned for anyone to actually go against him because of his talent. That and he did try to kill the principal. But that was totally justified in his eyes. "

Hisato dropped the knife he got from Junko on his desk. Chihiro and Hifumi eyed it with caution.

"Good. For us four, we should keep this somewhere secure. In case someone tries to out us when we're alone, this knife can be tracked down and used as self-defense," He suggested.

"Wouldn't self-defense count as murder?" Hifumi scratched his head. He remembered reading a fanfiction where one of the characters got busted from the cops because of said reason.

"Damn. I never thought about that," He admitted, somewhat relieved that Hifumi was on his side. It would've been a close call.

"That's great, isn't it? We're free if we kill. In self-defense, we won't feel as guilty." Junko spoke her thoughts aloud. Her reasoning did make sense.

"Yeah, but this stupid bear is the one behind this. I don't know if you heard him clearly but he stated that you're free_ 'if'_ you can actually get away with it." Hisato recalled Monokuma saying that tidbit a little quieter in his speech. "Meaning there must be some type of secret he's withholding."

Hifumi raised a finger. "I found it! There are the school rules in our e-handbooks!" He began to read the first rule. "Rule number one: students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time."

"Well it's not like we can leave anyway," Hisato huffed, looking at his own e-handbook. "Rule number two: Nighttime is from ten pm to seven am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution."

"Going out at night is the stupidest thing anyone can do." Junko turned on her e-handbook. "Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly."

Chihiro read the next rule. "With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion. So we can scout for clues then!"

"That's good. I can only wonder what those restrictions are though." Hisato saw the next rule and felt sick to his stomach. It's the rule he broke earlier. "Shit. Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited... as is the destruction of surveillance cameras?" He looked back, ultimately finding a surveillance camera pointing directly at him.

_'Shit! That bear is watching us!' _Hisato, Hifumi, and Chihiro naturally panicked over the invasion of their privacy. Junko had an unimpressed look on her face.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you broke another rule. Question is, why did Monokuma decide to give you a verbal warning instead of the punishment that you deserved." Junko frowned deeply, truly wondering why he didn't receive proper punishment.

Junko grinned widely and did a peace sitn. "Maybe it's like Monokuma said: Since it's you, Sato-chan!" She recited the exact reasoning Monokuma gave for his actions.

"The hell did you just call me?!"

"Relax. It's only a cute name~" The smug smirk on Junko's face pissed him off. "Rule number six: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes _'blackened' _will graduate, unless they are discovered."

Hisato's words were correct. The only way to officially escape is to get away from murder. So basically, it was like a murder plot. You can't be caught or else you'll be sent to prison. In this case, the course of action to those who were caught aren't specified.

"Additional school regulations may be added if necessary." Hisato finished off the last rule. His eyes lingered on the surveillance camera spying on them. "Yeah… I just gathered you all here to tell you that I found the knife hidden in the gym."

Junko easily saw through his charade. He had his back turned at the camera; he made a silent gesture with his face.

"Huh? But I thought you said…" Hifumi realized the situation too. "...that we were gathered to talk about one of my works."

"Obviously not. They were ready to maul him apart." Junko smiled sinisterly.

Chihiro caught on too. "Uh… well we're all safe here, right?"

"No. Someone can easily barge in our dorms. I advise everyone here to lock it tight." Hisato took a seat on a chair near a desk. "I call this meeting to an end. If you need to see me personally, please do. If it's during nighttime, please be super aware of your surroundings. I'm going to be busy for the remainder of the day." Finding a pencil and an empty journal inside the desk, he got straight to work.

"Yes, Mr. Sasaki! Stay safe!" Hifumi departed after saying his farewells.

"R-right! I'll be sure to be extra careful!" Chihiro exited the room as well.

"Bye, Chihiro." Hisato bid her farewell before the door closed.

"Is there a reason you don't use honorifics?" Junko asked, taking note of his use of names. He referred to everyone by their first name.

Hisato shrugged. "I don't see the point. I can call anyone whatever I want. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to start on this. The others will get more suspicious of you if you're still here with me." He dismissed her politely. There was no need to cause shift distrust onto his fellow friends.

Junko stayed put. "I think I like it here. It's better if we stay in pairs isn't it?" She collapsed on his bed, resting her arms behind her head. She noticed the camera being pointed at her now. Junko grinned and did a peace sign, to which the surveillance camera shook left and right as if shaking its head.

"Well yeah but there's really no point in staying here… unless you'll tell me why you have so many knives?" He was met with silence, as expected. He didn't really mind Junko being in his room as long as she was quiet.

So with that, he grabbed his pencil and began writing down his first words.

**Students of Hope's Peak Academy.**

* * *

**Second Author's Note: Yeah, so Junko being lenient towards Hisato comes in the form of leaving his phone with him and not giving him punishment for breaking the rules. **

**Anyway, this is going to be my main focus for a bit. It'll speed by quick, like the anime adaptation of it. With that said, stay tuned.**


	2. Ch 1: Two Heads Are Better Than One I

The day had come and gone by in a flash. It is now the second day of the students stay at Hope's Peak Academy. Most had gone to bed with one eye open, yet nothing happened. Perhaps this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Waking up, Hisato immediately went back to work on his notes. He was determined to get a good chunk of it finished by the end of today.

"Ugh… why are you up so early?" For some odd reason, Junko stayed the night. He desperately tried to get her to leave but she wouldn't budge. He was forced to sleep on the floor while Junko took up the whole bed and its contents.

"You can always leave you know." Hisato fired back, an annoyed expression on his face. This was his room and he wasn't in the mood to get ordered by someone because of it.

"Shut up." Junko was in an even grumpier mood than before after the events that transpired last night. She grasped the knife beneath the covers tightly. She had the chance to kill him. He slept so peacefully… it angered her beyond measures.

Her knife was close… oh so close to his neck. Last night could've ended this whole game in a snap. Everyone would've been dead. She'd pin the blame on Celeste since everyone thought she has the knife. Everything was planned out for dear Hisato's demise.

Unfortunately for her, the principal had different ideas.

_'No, no, no. Kill Sato-chan this early and you'll join him you dumb bitch! Let him make the first move!'_

This only confirms that the person orchestrating everything grew a soft spot for Hisato. That wasn't good at all. Despair has no time for friends. But, that doesn't totally exclude the fact that he may die later. Whether it's by execution, someone else's hands, or her own, he is going to die one way or the other. Then they can finally get serious.

Junko felt something hit her head. Upon further examination, she suspected that the camera hit her on purpose.

_'No! To hell with this!_' Fed up, Junko grabbed the knife and stormed over to Hisato. Raising her knife, she went for the kill.

"Good morning, Sato-chan!" Monokuma appeared out of nowhere, smacking the knife out of Junko's hands. For extra measure, he kicked her shin.

Hisato accidentally broke the tip of his pencil. Monokuma's sudden appearance startled him.

"Dammit! What do you want bear?"

Monokuma feigned innocence. "Watch it, young whippersnapper! Don't talk like that to your principal! I'm here to check up on my _faaaavorite_ student before morning announcements!" He giggled madly.

"Well… you checked up on me. Now leave us alone." Hisato pointed him out to the door.

"Puh. You want me to leave? How sad!" Monokuma teared up. Hisato went to go grab Monokuma, but the bear already bolted out the room.

"Ugh. That bear is so annoying," Hisato sighed. He sat back down and resumed working.

"Are you just going to sit here all day?" Junko asked, sneaking the knife under Hisato's pillow.

"Yep." Was all that he said. He picked up a long sheet of paper. "The e-handbooks comes in handy. It has a map with any location you can think of, including everyone's dorms. So now I know where everyone is." The map on the electronic handbook showed rooms aligned with each other. Everyone's faces were implanted at their designated room in an eight-bit style format.

"And that's good because…?"

"Because…" He showed her one of the numerous sheets of papers sitting on his desk. "More intel means more ways to outsmart a potential killer. Knowing where people sleep is great to know who is in the room beside you. _They're more likely to kill the nearest person."_

Junko had to admit that Hisato did know what he was doing.

_'I should be glad about this. He's more likely to kill now with information like this.'_

"At least show up for breakfast. I'll drag you there myself if I have to~" Junko put her hands on his shoulders, digging her sharp fingernails into his skin.

"Ow! Alright!" Just as he agreed to attend breakfast...

**Ding! Dong! Bing! Bong!**

"Good morning everyone! It is now seven a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!"

"Stupid bear…" He cleaned his ear a bit, checking to see if his ear could function properly. Before he left, he grabbed the knife that he stashed inside the desk and sneaked it inside his uniform.

Exiting his room, both Junko and Hisato silently trekked forward to the cafeteria. They didn't run to anyone along the way, so they assumed everyone already met up in the cafeteria.

When they arrived, just about everyone was sitting down and eating breakfast.

"Look who finally shows their stupid faces around here," Mondo grunted, glaring at the two.

Taka stood up and marched towards the two. "The both of you missed the first meeting yesterday! That is completely unacceptable! As punishment, you will not get a recap of what we learned!" He roared assertively.

Junko and Hisato traded bored glances.

"Is he serious?" Hisato asked.

"Ooh. I think he is. Poor us." Taka looked offended by their words. He bit back another rant, instead opting to not cause any more tension.

"Lord!" Chihiro smiled at Hisato, holding a bitten apple in her hand.

"Enough with this lord nonsense." Hisato averted his eyes from the curious looks he was receiving.

"Sasaki-sama!" Chihiro beamed brightly.

Hisato facepalmed.

"Ah! Mr. Sasaki! Nice to know you're okay!" Hifumi joined them, finishing up his breakfast.

Hisato facepalmed again.

"We tried to get you, but you weren't at your dorm," Chihiro said to Junko, having already been familiar with the map on her e-handbook.

"Hm? Oh, I bunked with Sato-chan for the night," Junko replied nonchalantly. Chihiro clasped her hands over her mouth, cheeks flushed. Hifumi eyed Hisato with admiration, nodding approvingly.

Hisato facepalmed for the third time now.

"Wow. Didn't know you had it in you to try something on the first night. Especially since we're prisoners here." Leon shared Hifumi's general interpretation too.

"Ugh. I knew you were a pervert." Toko shook her head in disgust.

"You can say that again," Sakura agreed.

Hina had a conflicted expression on her face. "I do want to believe that you two have already become close buddies but…"

"But that's no excuse to be sharing a room with a female!" Taka broke in, finishing Hina's sentence. "A male and a female cannot share a room no matter the circumstance! That is highly inappropriate! We have separate dorms for a reason!" He argued, none too pleased with the news.

"Coming here was a mistake..." Hisato grumbled, gaining a headache from all the yelling. Spotting Celeste sitting with an empty teacup in front of her, he decided to speak to her. "Hey Celeste-"

"Do be a dear and make me some royal milk tea please," She requested, handing him an empty teacup.

Hisato raised his hands up. "Uh, no. I actually do really need to-"

"I said make me some royal milk tea please," Celeste repeated, this time with more aggression in her voice.

"And I said I need to-"

Celeste slammed the teacup on the table. Hisato flinched. "Must I repeat myself again!?"

"N-no, ma'am…" He relented, grabbing the teacup and heading inside the kitchen. Celeste smirked, satisfied with his obedience.

The others gulped, frightened by her display of tamed anger.

Hisato eventually returned with a teacup full of tea. He gently placed it in front of her, fighting the urge to dump it all over her.

Celeste inspected the steaming cup of tea. Moments from taking his leave of absence, Celeste spoke.

"Stay." Hisato stayed.

Celeste sipped the tea slowly, probably savoring the taste.

Hisato scratched his cheek. "Yeah… so can I go now?"

Celeste set her teacup down and smiled. "Yes. This is satisfactory enough. You are allowed to leave now." She waved him off, enjoying her royal milk tea.

_'Phew. I feel like I dodged a bullet.' _Hisato wiped the sweat off of his brow. The way Celeste smiled eased his nerves. A content Celeste meant a safe ambience.

"Sasaki-sama!" Chihiro called out to him. "We'd appreciate it if you helped us explore the building! The more help the better!"

Hisato thought about it for a good minute. Everyone awaited his answer.

Leon coughed awkwardly, wondering why it was taking him so long to answer.

"Nah." He chuckled dryly, amused by her saddened reaction. "And stop calling me that. You and Hifumi stick together, ya hear? Just don't get too close to him," He whispered that last part quietly. Chihiro looked at Hifumi, who was currently scratching his butt.

"N-noted…" She shuddered.

"But I will call a secret team meeting in the AV Room this evening. Six-o'clock sharp. Got it?" Hisato said, not noticing that Leon was eavesdropping on their conversation.

Chihiro nodded rapidly. "Y-yes Sasaki-sama! Will do!"

"Stop calling me that. Geez, you're embarrassing me…" Hisato hid his humiliation with both hands.

Chihiro frowned before smiling once more. "Okay… master!"

"No! Just no…" Hisato groaned. "Just stick to the last one."

He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and headed out of the doors. Junko waved at her classmates.

"Bye! See you two later~" She winked at Chihiro and Hifumi. "Trust me. You won't want to miss it. Hehehe~" She giggled as she exited the cafeteria.

Hifumi straightened his glasses and huffed. "Ugh! Mr. Sasaki is so lucky to have her hanging by his side!" He grew jealous over the fact that Hisato had a magazine cover model so invested in his actions.

"Lucky… hmph. Sure," Celeste chuckled darkly, continuing to drink her milk tea.

Hifumi and Chihiro eventually left to go explore the building. Hina and Sakura followed their example and investigated elsewhere. Hiro walked off to go practice his skills. Toko went to go do... things in her room.

Makoto and Sayaka came inside the cafeteria laughing. They seemed to have really connected because of their past, meeting in middle school and all that.

Makoto's cheeks were flaming red. For some reason, being around Sayaka made him feel… good inside. Hearing her giggle brought a smile to his face. They never really talked much back in middle school. Whenever they did, it was always a pleasant encounter.

The Ultimate Lucky Student noticed Leon motion him and Sayaka over. Confused, he wandered over to his direction.

"Hey. We need to know if you're doing anything this evening." Leon questioned.

Not seeing a problem with it, Makoto answered, "Nothing really. Maizono-san and I agreed to explore the place a bit more. I don't think we plan to explore for that long."

Makoto glanced at Sayaka for confirmation. She smiled kindly and shook her head.

"Good." Leon pointed at himself, Mondo and Taka. "I overheard Sasaki tell his little entourage that they were meeting at the AV Room later. We'd like you two to help spy on them with us."

Makoto frowned, as did Sayaka.

"Spying? I'm not so sure…" Naturally, Makoto was against it due to his past with Hisato too. Even if he did forget, or he was faking it, Hisato is his friend no matter what.

"Me neither. Aren't you supposed to set good examples?" Sayaka hesitated as well, though she shot a question towards Taka.

Taka smiled nervously. "If it's for the good of our class then we deserve to find out what Sasaki-kun is up to!" He responded loudly.

Mondo grunted, "Yeah, and we'll beat the shit out of him and his buddies if he's plotting to murder one of his." His threat caused everyone to gulp. A threat from Mondo shouldn't be taken lightly.

"Hehe. Let's not beat him up. I was thinking more on the lines of keeping an eye on him," Leon reasoned, choosing not to be violent. Obviously, Mondo ignored his suggestion.

"Nah. I prefer beating the shit out of him. His face pisses me off." Mondo's response caused them to sweatdrop.

Celeste finished up her tea and stood up. Everyone forgot she was there until they saw her brush past them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, dears. You wouldn't want enemies now would you?" Celeste giggled strangely, warning them before she took her leave too.

"Bah! To hell with what she says! I'm going in anyway!" Mondo declared, refusing to be intimidated. Taka and Leon reluctantly nodded.

"Hmm…" Makoto remained unsure.

"Listen. You can think about it. Just meet us outside the AV Room if you're up for it," Leon said. It wasn't long until Makoto and Sayaka were the last ones in the cafeteria.

"Are you going to do it?" Sayaka asked him, deciding for herself to refuse the offer. In the end, she didn't believe it was right to spy on people. Her suspicions weren't locked on Hisato. Hell, she didn't have any to begin with.

Makoto ran his hand through his spiky brown hair.

"Maybe. It's just that people have been judging Sato-kun's talent since Junior High. He wasn't the most well-liked guy. It's sad to see it happen here too," He explained. He knew this because he was the only person who even spoke to Hisato.

Hisato was known for his devious antics and his downright cruel pranks. It earned him a bad reputation amongst his peers and the teachers. His high intellect kept him from being kicked out of school period. Hisato represented the school on various occasions. It would've been a big hit to the school if they expelled him.

_'Hmm… I wonder why his talent is Ultimate Schemer instead of the Ultimate Representative or something along those lines.' _Makoto thought.

"Well, whatever you decide I'll support you all the way through!" Sayaka clapped her hands joyfully.

Makoto looked away and blushed. "Th-thanks."

* * *

The day passed by relatively quickly for everyone's taste. It just made everything feel weirder that nothing has happened even when Monokuma announced that if they wanted to leave they had to kill someone.

Of course, no one intended to kill anyone. Little did they know Monokuma devised a plan to dispel his boredom.

It was nearing six o'clock in the evening. Some people have already left the cafeteria after finishing their dinner. Others stayed so they can find comfort in being around their peers.

_'It's time.' _Hisato stood up from his seat. He took his half-eaten sandwich with him out the door. A few minutes later, Junko also left the cafeteria.

Hifumi burped loudly, finishing up his dinner. "Oh! That hit the spot!" He patted his large stomach contentedly. "Come now, Miss Fujisaki! We got more things to discuss!"

"What?" Chihiro blinked, suddenly remembering the plan. "O-oh! Right! Yes! Let's shall!" She hurriedly followed Hifumi out the door.

Leon smirked. "O-okay. There's our cue." Despite his smirking, he felt a little anxious. If they were caught spying, who knew what would happen to them? Granted, Mondo would be with him, but his nerves were still high.

"Nervousness will get you nowhere! Banish your worries now!" Taka said assertively.

"Yeah. They're a bunch of weak dweebs anyway. What's there to be nervous about?" Mondo personally didn't find anyone intimidating, aside from Sakura of course. Junko was a fashion geek. Chihiro was small. Hifumi was… Hifumi. And Hisato was all bark and no bite.

Hina overheard their threats and frowned.

"You guys aren't seriously going to spy on them, are you?" Hina disapproved of their actions.

"It's for the good of our class!" Taka exclaimed proudly.

Sakura closed her eyes. "Everyone except you two is alright with letting them hang around each other." She pointed at Leon and Mondo. "So tell me, how is it for the good of the class?" She asked Taka, stunning him.

"Um… w-well… it's better to be safe than sorry!" Taka quickly bounced, not wanting to be further guilt-tripped by Sakura.

Leon and Mondo followed more nonchalantly. They were determined to find out whether Hisato really is bad news or not.

When the three guys neared the AV Room, they saw that Makoto was already there.

Leon smiled. "Hey! Glad to see you-" Taka immediately covered his mouth with his hand.

"Don't speak so loudly," Taka whispered. Leon nodded, so Taka retracted his hand back. Makoto quietly walked over to them.

"The meeting just started. I don't feel good about doing this but if it'll prove Sato-kun's innocence then I'm game," Makoto said. He didn't really suspect Hisato at all. He did this more so to get Hisato off of everyone's suspect list.

Makoto, Mondo, Leon, and Taka listened to the voices from the edge of the open doorway.

"I swear, I thought I was in deep trouble. That Celeste is definitely more than what meets the eye. We can deal with her though, as a group." Hisato spoke in front of the room, leaning against a screen.

"Y-yes! We're all friends here!" Chihiro smiled, glad that she had a good amount of friends around her.

"You got that right, Miss Fujisaki!" Hifumi straightened his glasses.

"I can't believe you two fully believe that phone nonsense. But since you three do look like your committed to this, I might as well too." Junko twirled a lock of her hair. Hifumi and Chihiro beamed, now having Junko's support too.

"Phone? What is he talking about?" Makoto asked to no one in particular.

Leon replied, "Yesterday, he talked about his fliphone being pelted by bullets from those guns at the main hall. I didn't think he was actually serious about that."

"So he's withholding valuable information from us," Taka noted, frowning.

"I knew you'd come around eventually." Hisato winked at her playfully. "Honestly, I figured there would be a surveillance camera here so we can't really discuss important matters. So I called this meeting just to get to know you three better."

Everyone was surprised to hear that.

"We're just going to share things about each other. Maybe a secret or two. But as you know, if this information were to be exposed by any one of us…" He whipped out his combat knife and twirled it around. "I mean, I wouldn't kill anyone of you. That's just cruel. But things… bad things might occur."

The tone of his voice went cold. He wasn't smiling anymore. He stared down each of them. Hifumi and Chihiro nearly cracked under pressure while Junko merely rolled her eyes.

Hisato threw the combat knife at one of the tables. He spread his arms out wide. "Don't sweat it too much. I know none of you will expose our secrets. Hehe. Only a little warning. I want us all to trust each other. We can't really be the best of friends without trust, am I right?"

"Right…" Both Chihiro and Hifumi cautiously answered at the same time.

"Whatever. Don't expect too much from me," Junko said, arms crossed.

Meanwhile, the spying group of students were taking in this new information.

"Where the hell did he get that knife?! I thought Celeste had it!" Leon blurted out. Taka, Makoto, and Mondo were too late to stop him.

Hisato instantly turned to the open doorway, hearing someone's voice. He couldn't exactly decipher whose voice it was but he knew someone was there at least.

"Hey!" The four teens' shoulders tensed. "I know you're out there! Show yourself now or I'll come there myself. Trust me, you don't want that to happen." Hisato glanced at each of his comrades, motioning them to begin investigating closer.

"Shit!" Mondo cursed in a hushed tone.

"S-sorry…" Leon winced at the slap on the back of the head that he rightfully received from Mondo.

"What do we do now?" Taka stayed relatively calm, though this time not having an answer to this problem.

"There's four of us. Don't tell me you're actually considering playing the bear's game?" Hisato voice drew closer. "That bear is nothing but a maniac. If you're actually planning on killing us because of him then you're just as crazy as him."

No response.

"Ugh. Are you sure it wasn't the wind?" Junko quirked an eyebrow.

"Where the hell is wind going to come from?!" Hisato retorted. A small argument broke out between Junko and Hisato, buying the four time to escape.

Leon zoomed off first, followed by Taka. Mondo pounded his fists together but one good look at Makoto reminded him of what occurred yesterday. He punched Makoto unconscious for a good amount of hours.

_'He isn't doing anything. I'll let him off the hook for now.' _Mondo stormed off, leaving Makoto as the last one in the area.

"Fine. Fine. You're right as always Junko." Seeing no way out of it, he admitted defeat. He looked up and caught Makoto freezing in the midst of his escape. "Hey! You! Stop right there!"

Finding himself unable to move, Makoto tried to lighten the situation.

"Oh! H-hey Sato-kun! I was just passing by, honest!" Makoto said nervously.

"The hell did you just call me?!"

"I swear if you're going to get so worked up just because of a name... Sato-chan." Junko purposely let the name slip just to infuriate him more.

"What the hell did you just say?!"

Chihiro grinned happily. "Ah! So it's Sato-sama then!"

"No, it isn't!"

"Mr. Sato does sound a bit weird…" Hifumi muttered.

"Yes, so don't call me it!" Hisato reached his limit. To stop his temper from letting loose, he took a deep breath and smiled. "Makoto is it? Tell me, do you need something from one of us? We're in the middle of a meeting."

Makoto blinked. "Do you really not remember me?" Hisato shook his head. "Back in Junior High, we were good friends! We even went to Dusk High School together for three months before you got expelled. You never told me why you got expelled."

For a moment, a chill ran down Makoto's spine as Hisato stared at him. His stare set him off a little.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I never went to this Dusk High Academy. You got the wrong person pal," Hisato responded, not showing any signs of hesitation.

Makoto seemed like he was going to press further but Junko got in the way. She grabbed Hisato's arm.

"He clearly doesn't know you so buzz off already!" Junko snapped. Truthfully, she was concerned that Makoto might trigger something and complete mess up with the tampering of Hisato's memories.

"Hey. Let's not be so rash." Hisato regained control of his arm. He went over and brought a tray of oranges juice glasses. "Up for some orange juice? No pulp."

Makoto hesitantly grabbed a glass. "Thanks?" He watched Hisato present them to the rest of his friends. Junko declined rudely.

"I'll send you off on a good note. Not as rude as Junko, but you should be on your way." Hisato took a sip of his orange juice, savoring its flavor.

"B-but Sato-kun-"

"Listen. Let me make this clear to you Makoto. I have never met you in my life. I don't know if you're trying to pull my leg or something but I'd appreciated it if you stop." He asked kindly, ignoring the fact that Makoto called him by the name he despised.

"Yeah, so beat it."

"Junko!" Hisato berated the Ultimate Fashionista, though she didn't care anyway.

"I-it's all right. I'll just go then." Saddened, Makoto left the AV Room.

After making sure he was truly gone, Hisato cocked his head back and glared at Junko.

"The hell was that for? I know I say we should be wary of the rest of them but you're just downright rude."

"And?" Junko sneered, flipping her hair rather smugly. "We shouldn't expand beyond us four. More people will only lead to trouble. I'm sure you agree."

Hisato cringed. "Well yeah, but I wanted to hear him out. Maybe I have some sort of amnesia or something. It makes sense now that I think about it. I must have forgotten about how I met you three, Makoto, and Sayaka. I remember she said that I looked familiar too." The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to apologize to Makoto and Sayaka.

"Amnesia? But I don't remember you at all and I still have all my memories." Chihiro was skeptical of his theory.

"She's got a point. Maybe you just hit your head hard," Hifumi added in.

"You heard Makoto. Apparently, I went to Junior High with him. Of course, he could be tricking me, but I sort of believe him." Hisato spoke his thoughts aloud.

The only way to truly figure out this predicament is to talk to Makoto himself, maybe Sayaka too considering those two seemed to be pretty close.

"You don't have amnesia so just get over it already!" Junko yelled angrily. If he went snooping around then there's no doubt he'll be persuaded by the Ultimate Lucky Student. "Geez. Let's just start this meeting already."

Hisato, Hifumi, and Chihiro stared at her warily. The sudden outburst was unlike her. In fact, she was acting more different since the meeting began.

Junko caught on to their stares and covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry. This killing nonsense is putting me on edge. I haven't slept that much. I really want to get to know you three more," She lied cooly. Of course, she already knew everything about her three companions.

While Hifumi and Chihiro understood where she was coming from, Hisato narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"You sure didn't look like you were having trouble sleeping," He murmured to himself. Having slept on the floor, it took him a bit longer to fall asleep. He stopped working around midnight. By then, Junko had already fallen asleep quite easily.

Regardless, Hisato shook it off in favor of getting the meeting started.

"Alright! I call forward the first meeting." He announced, standing in front of the room once more with his glass in hand.

"We're here to learn more about each other. To start it off, each of you will have to share an important secret." As he said that, their jaws dropped. "Don't think about lying either. I'll find out one way or another."

Hisato leaned back and took an extra-long sip of his orange juice. To his disappointment, no one spoke up.

"Ah. I see. Perhaps your services will no longer be required." He set the glass down on one of the monitors. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll go first."

_'Is he really going to share that story so soon?' _Junko wondered.

"When I was seven, I intentionally got my parents arrested. They weren't released until five months later after I had my fun," He revealed, smirking at the memory. "I got grounded for five months after I pulled the fire alarm and pantsed the principal. As you know, you get a hefty fine for pulling the fire alarm when there isn't a real fire. I thought it was completely unfair, so I got rid of my parents for the same amount of time that I was supposed to be grounded."

"W-what did you do to them?" Chihiro dared to ask.

That's when Hisato's grin widened. "I may or may have not falsely turned them into the police for a random hit-and-run accident that happened close by."

Hifumi and Chihiro gulped. Hisato really did exemplify his talent. A talent that wasn't one to mess with.

'_Ah. So he's twisting his story. Makes sense. Those two would be out of here in a heartbeat if he told them the real truth.'_ Junko surmised, having already heard the ugly truth from Hisato himself in the past.

"So there you have it. A secret for a secret. I think that's a fair exchange." Hisato waited patiently for one of them to speak up.

Hifumi thought of a secret that wouldn't harm him as much. "Well, I volunteered for janitor duty. I even got this sweet key from Monokuma. We can head to the trash room at a later time if you wish Mr. Sasaki."

"Janitor duty? I didn't know we're allowed to have duties here." Hisato nodded approvingly, accepting Hifumi's secret. "May I ask why you volunteered for it?"

Being a janitor was a job that Hisato believed no one wanted. He wondered why Hifumi would take up the job, considering it's their second day at Hope's Peak Academy.

"Hehe. You know, I'm required to rummage through and clean out the trash. Even girls' trash," Hifumi said perversely. Junko and Chihiro glanced at him, uncomfortable with his true reason for taking up janitor duty.

"Gross." Hisato motioned Chihiro to go next.

Chihiro fiddled with her fingers, staying silent. After a minute, Hisato pointed at the door.

"Okay. Your services are no longer need. Goodbye Chihiro."

Chihiro flinched. "W-wait! No! Can't we do something else?!"

"Lack of cooperation is not acceptable. I'm kindly asking you to leave please."

The girl's eyes began to tear up. "B-but I thought we were friends! I-I liked being friends with all of you…"

"If you'll cooperation then we'll still be friends." Hisato awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, doing his best to avoid watching her cry. It failed. "Damn. Are you really torn up about this? You must not have any friends. Uh… tell you what! That'll be your secret! So stop crying. You're not going anywhere."

Junko lent a shoulder for Chihiro to lean on. The Ultimate Programmer sniffled, wiping away her tears with her sleeves.

"Tell you what. As a token of my forgiveness, I'll have something whipped out for you in a few days. I'm sure you'll love it." Hisato offered, thinking back to the secret room he found in the Gym along with keeping in mind that Chihiro is the Ultimate Programmer.

"Th-thank you Sasaki-sama," Chihiro thanked him quietly, appreciating his kindness. Though, she still felt saddened that she showed such a weak display of herself by crying in front of everyone.

"Junko?" The three awaited Junko's response.

"Fine. Do you want a secret? My favorite color is black." Junko smirked deviously, finding the loophole around Hisato's request. A secret is a secret and she hadn't told anyone her favorite color.

"Right. I'll keep a note of that." Hisato made a mental note to remember that Junko didn't cooperate fairly. "That's enough sharing for now I guess. We'll know more about each other soon enough. For now…"

Hisato held up a stack of cards.

"Anyone up for a round of BS?"

* * *

Elsewhere, Makoto returned to the dorm hallway. Sayaka was there talking to Taka.

"Yes… we may have lost a noble classmate but rest assured, he will be avenged!" Taka pumped his fist with pride. "Naegi-kun may be dead but that doesn't mean we'll forget about him!"

Makoto thought about intervening right there and now. However, the devastated expression on Sayaka's face gave him the urge to stay hidden for a while longer and see how this plays out.

"W-what do you mean he may be dead?! Is he or is he not?!" Sayaka cried out. "I thought you were the responsible one. You ran away and left him there?"

Taka deflated. "Erm… I-I guess I kind of did…" He admitted, ashamed.

"What is wrong with you?!" Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. The thought of Makoto getting killed was too much for her to handle.

"Right! I have no excuse for my actions! I shall run back to AV Room and pick up Naegi-kun's body!" As soon as Taka turned around, he was faced with Makoto grinning shyly. "Ah! So he is safe! Welcome back!" He laughed heartily.

Makoto tried to open his mouth to speak but found himself being embraced strongly by the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

"W-Woah!" He was taken aback by the sudden gesture.

"I thought something horrible happened to you. Hehe! I'm so glad you're alright!" To Makoto's brief disappointment, Sayaka stepped back.

"Nothing bad was going to happen to me. As I said, Sato-kun isn't like that. He was really reasonable to me." Makoto shot Taka a questionable glance.

"Hmm. I suppose Sasaki-kun isn't a threat after all." Taka laughed. "Haha! I'll have to take your word for future references. I'll go tell the others." With that, Taka left the two to themselves.

"So did you find anything interesting in your exploration?" Sayaka asked him.

"A few things, yes." Makoto began to explain everything that went down. "Sato-kun seems to be a little scared of Celeste. But just a little. He, Enoshima-san, Fujisaki-san and Yamada-kun seem like close friends."

Sayaka scratched her head. "Really? But it's only been a day. They couldn't have gotten that close so soon."

Makoto face turned serious. "From what they said, there was some kind of phone incident that happened before we all met up yesterday. Kuwata-kun told me that Sato-kun talked about it briefly when we were all in the gym. Something about is flip phone getting destroyed by the guns in the main hall."

Sayaka giggled at the mention of a flip phone. Makoto frowned, which caused her to stop laughing and her eyes turned into dots.

"Ahem. Anyway," She coughed. "I thought he was being sarcastic. I mean, don't you find it a little suspicious that everyone's phone was confiscated except his?"

"Yes. But I'm sure there's a plausible reason for it. I just don't know what that is exactly," He replied, unsure of himself.

"We can get one of his friends to tell us. Maybe Celeste because she seems to be neutral towards them. She's not a part of their group," She suggested.

Celeste is a rather special case. While she seemed to prefer to be by herself, she didn't fully oppose company like Byakuya did. It'd be weird if they badgered Celeste with questions.

She may not even answer them. Or worse, she'd tell Hisato that they kept on pressuring her.

"Let's hold on to that for now. I got caught spying but Sato-kun only offered me a drink instead of hurting me like the others thought he'd do. So I know for sure that he isn't a bad guy because of his talent." Makoto's eyes saddened. "He didn't remember me. I told him some information of our past together but he thought I was playing a trick on him."

Sayaka frowned somberly, not liking to see a depressed Makoto.

"I can only think of two possible answers. One, he could be the one playing a trick on you. Or he might have amnesia," She said.

Makoto shook his head. "He doesn't have amnesia. He remembers Junior High and high school."

Sayaka placed her hand on his shoulder. Makoto shyly looked up, cheeks tinted red.

"Hey. You shouldn't get so worked up over this. I'm sure it'll all work out eventually. Give it time," Sayaka assured him. "We got more important things to do, like explore the school some more."

Makoto nodded, scratching his reddened cheeks. "Y-you're right. Hehe. Thanks for cheering me up," He thanked her, embarrassed.

Sayaka giggled, "You're welcome! As your assistant, it's my job to help you whenever you're in a pickle. Now let's continue our exploration!" She grabbed Makoto's wrists and took off.

"Ah! At least let me move on my own!"

* * *

The following day came strolling by. As luck would have it, no murders took place once more. The students eased up, realizing that no one really did have any intentions to kill.

Hisato and Chihiro were hanging out in Hisato's room for the afternoon. Junko thankfully slept in her own room last night.

He thought about inviting Junko and Hifumi over too but decided against it. The four of them together will draw suspicious. Plus, he wanted to get to know everyone a bit more. Some other time should do the trick.

"Wow, Sasaki-sama… your room is a mess," Chihiro commented, closing the door behind her. Sheets of paper were scattered over the room, some crumpled. Two lamps resided on his desk, both pointing down where he usually worked.

Hisato patted down his black hair, having just woken up. "Sorry. I should've been more prepared for your visit. I stayed up all night working after Monokuma supplied me with all of this," He said, gesturing at the mess.

Chihiro's eyes widened. "Monokuma gifted you with all of this?"

"Yeah. I don't know why he's fond of me. It's damn creepy but hey, at least I get something out of it." Hisato smiled. Despite the fact that Monokuma was a sadistic teddy bear, he sure did spoil his favorites.

"Hmm. I wonder if Hifumi will enjoy some of these supplies to work on his fanfictions," Hisato pondered, grabbing a stack of clean paper. "Of course it won't be like what he's used to but it's better than nothing."

"I'm certain he'll appreciate it!" Chihiro admired him for being so thoughtful. Especially to someone like Hifumi, who generally acted weird.

Hisato nodded. He looked over at one of his sheets of paper. "Based on my research, here's a list of people you should steer clear from. And then a list of people who are… what's the word? Oh yes, trustworthy."

Chihiro read over the paper:

**Trustworthy:**

**Aoi Asahina**

**Toko Fukawa **

**Kiyotaka Ishimaru**

**Sayaka Maizono**

**Makoto Naegi**

**Sakura Oogami**

**Hifumi Yamada**

Then she read the next set of names.

**Untrustworthy:**

**Junko Enoshima**

**Yasuhiro Hagakure**

**Kyoko Kirigiri**

**Leon Kuwata**

**Celestia Ludenberg**

**Mondo Owada**

**Byakuya Togami**

The list was split. Seven people he trusted and seven that he didn't. If Chihiro had to guess, she belonged on the good list.

She didn't like the idea of classifying their classmates into different categories. It just showed that Hisato is serious about this whole situation. He believed that someone will follow Monokuma's offer.

Obviously, that couldn't have been true at all.

"Why are our friends here?" Chihiro frowned deeply, spotting Junko's name on the untrustworthy section.

"It's not like she isn't my friend. Junko rubbed me the wrong way during the first day. You were there for all of that."

Chihiro recalled the events. He accused Junko of faking her appearance. She could understand his issue with them, but she hoped it would change soon.

"Byakuya has been on my ass since day one too. I think he's observing me or something. Kyoko… I actually don't know anything about her, literally. She's one mysterious girl. Leon and Mondo have it out for me. And Yasuhiro… meh, I just think he's unreliable." He shrugged at his last reason.

Chihiro sweatdropped at that.

"Hina is a really outgoing type of person. She even defended me. Hifumi's pretty chill too and he's our friend. Taka wouldn't do anything to hurt a fly. He's high off of rules. Makoto is probably one of the top three people I can trust. There's something about him that I can't put my finger on. Sakura and Sayaka are friendly enough. And Toko looks like the type of person who's cooped up in her room all day."

Chihiro found it odd that Hisato even wrote this list and had his own reasons to back up his choices. So she questioned him on this.

"Eh? Why do I have this? Well, I am the Ultimate Schemer. I need valuable information in order to carry out my plans. So I write down everything that I know so I won't let anyone have the upper hand on me," He explained calmly.

"No one here will kill though."

"You don't know that." Hisato chuckled dryly. "Don't judge a book by its cover, programmer. You'd be surprised who's capable of murder. But let's steer away from the concept of murder." He smiled awkwardly, trying his best not to eye the camera.

"About that surprise that I have planned…" Hisato quickly leans forward and whispered in her ear. "I know where to get a laptop."

Chihiro gasped. She didn't have any time to ask questions as Monokuma popped out from out of nowhere.

"What's this? Sharing secrets?! Tell me too, Sato-chan! Please, oh please!" Monokuma begged, clasping his paws together.

"No way! And how come you're always here? Am I seriously the only person that you watch over with the stupid cameras?"

"Maybe~" Monokuma giggled, pink radiating his bear cheeks.

Chihiro noticed how Hisato stood in front of her, acting like a shield judging by the way he stuck out his arm before her. She felt glad that someone cared about her well-being outside her family.

"Well?" Monokuma tapped his foot impatiently.

"Well, what?" Hisato asked, already knowing the answer.

"Tell me the secret! It's not polite to withhold information from your principal so make it snappy!" Monokuma barked.

Hisato and Chihiro exchanged nervous looks.

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear." Monokuma pulled out a bazooka from out of nowhere. The sight of the explosive weapon made the two students gasp. "You will tell me that secret, or else!"

"What the hell?!" Hisato's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "You're seriously going to kill me because of a secret?! That's not even against the rules. You can't force me to spill the beans!"

Monokuma momentarily dropped the bazooka. "Sato-chan does have a point…" The principal suddenly burst into tears and jumped in Hisato's arms. "But I just have to know! If you don't tell me, it'll be on my mind all day! Then I will never, _ever_ stop bugging you about it!" He cried on Hisato's shoulder.

Hisato's whole body stiffened. He stayed absolutely still, acting as if one single movement would cause Monokuma to detonate. A psychotic teddy bear was latching onto him. It was in his own right to be afraid.

"F-fine! I'll tell you! Just get off of me!" Monokuma obeyed, bouncing off. Mysteriously, the bear's face showed no signs of sadness now. Just gleeful curiosity.

"Oooh! Do tell!" Monokuma squealed.

Chihiro watched on, fearing Monokuma's reaction when he hears what they were secretly discussing.

"Um… the reason I didn't want to tell you at first was because I was too embarrassed. What I whispered in Chihiro's ear was…" Hisato gulped, glancing at the said girl. "...that I thought Junko looked hot."

"What?!" Monokuma and Chihiro cried out in shock. Monokuma seemed furious.

"You think that fat skank is hot?! Why I ought to teach you a lesson for lying!" Monokuma draped his bazooka over his shoulder once more, aiming for Hisato's head.

"I-I'm not lying!" Hisato waved his arms in the air frantically.

"Of course you were! That ugly pig isn't even hot! This… this is what happens when you lie to your principal!"

"I-I can prove it!" Hisato yelled before Monokuma fired. "I-I'll just tell her how I feel!" He gulped, sweat dripping down his head.

"Liar! I'll give you the benefit of the doubt though. Puhuhuhu! Go on, do it!" Monokuma kicked Hisato's leg.

"Fine! You go out first bear!" Hisato pushed Monokuma out the door. "Go to the gym and find the loosened plank. Meet me outside the gym when you're done," He said to Chihiro quickly and followed Monokuma out the door to not draw out any suspicion.

Ten seconds later saw Hisato barge through Junko's door, which surprisingly was kept unlocked.

Junko was laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling before Hisato came in abruptly.

"What are you doing here?!" Junko shrieked, throwing a pillow at him.

Hisato slowly moved his body to the side, showcasing the one and only Monokuma pointing a bazooka at him.

"Go on! Prove it or I'll blow your pretty little head off!" He threatened.

"Ugh! Th-this is so unfair!" Hisato complained, even at the brink of death. Junko looked on in bewilderment. "I think you're hot Junko. There, I said it! Stop pointing the bazooka at me!"

"Whaaat?!" Monokuma gasped. "Ew! You really do find that disgusting pile of trash hot?"

Hisato chuckled awkwardly, "Dude. She's a model."

"An awful one!"

Junko had enough of being insulted and raise her voice.

"Are you out of your mind?! We're trapped in this place and you're here ogling me?!" Junko exclaimed at the Ultimate Schemer, more focused on him than the seething Monokuma.

"I-It's not like I like you or anything! I just think that you're nice to look at. That's it!" Hisato growled, his cheeks reddening ever so slightly.

"Unbelievable." Junko rolled her eyes. She flipped off Hisato and Monokuma.

"Give me that!" Hisato stole the bazooka from Monokuma. "I did what you asked me to so leave me alone!" He pushed Monokuma out the room and closed the door shut.

"Fine…" Monokuma sighed in defeat. He left the Ultimate Schemer be, intentionally also leaving his weapon behind.

Hisato furiously tossed the weapon to the side. He hoped that Chihiro used the time he spent distracting Monokuma to retrieve the laptop.

He noticed Junko's eyes on him.

"What the hell are you staring at?!" He snapped.

"Excuse me? You're the one that's in my room and you're claiming your stupid affections for me!" She refuted back in an equal manner.

Hisato sneered, "That was obviously a lie. I had to do something to keep Monokuma from finding out what I said to Chihiro. That damn bear almost killed me for not telling him anything." He pulled down his sleeves, which were up during his scuffle with Monokuma.

Junko took the time to examine Hisato further.

Hisato wore his usual attire, consisting of typical formal clothes. He had on a white dress shirt that wasn't all buttoned up, exposing some of his fair skin. His tie was loosened, dangling from his neck. He also wore a grey blazer jacket over it that he chose to have open.

Junko knew that he owned matching grey beanie too. He didn't have it on, so she assumed that he left it in his room.

Hisato picked up the bazooka that Monokuma left behind. "I'll put this in the middle of the hallway for Monokuma to come back and get it. Plus, it'd scare the shit out of everyone!" He laughed, carrying the weapon out the door.

"Hey! Don't leave me out of whatever you have going on!" Junko followed. Her curiosity grew, wondering what Hisato was trying to hide from Monokuma.

When Hisato placed the bazooka in the middle of the hall, he reluctantly allowed Junko to tag along. He accepted it rather easily, wanting to go quickly.

When they arrived at the entrance of the gymnasium, Hisato was disappointed to see Chihiro standing there crying empty-handed.

"Great… what is it this time?" He dared to ask.

Chihiro looked up at him. Her tears ran down her face. "I-I'm sorry…" She sniffled. "I got too scared a-and backed out last second. Please forgive me Sasaki-sama!"

"Chihiro…" Hisato resisted the urge to facepalmed as it would make her cry even more. She seemed to seriously have some sort of insecurity issue. "Why the hell did you back out? I bought you the perfect opportunity to get the thing and you blew it."

His words made Chihiro feel even worse. She sobbed harder, hiccuping every so often.

"Sato-chan!" Junko elbowed him in the stomach.

"What? She screwed up!" That earned him another elbow to the stomach.

"And? That doesn't mean you should go and remind her. Be nicer. What is it that she was tasked to do anyway?" Junko asked, glancing at the devastated ultimate.

Hisato sighed, "Chihiro was supposed to go and collect the laptop in the secret bunker so we can get some answers. I distracted Monokuma so he wouldn't catch her doing so."

Junko's eyes widened for a brief moment. Once that moment concluded, she regained her composure and slapped Hisato's arm.

"Are you dense? There are cameras everywhere. Where are you going to hide the laptop? Not even that, how will you even use it without being caught?" She reprimanded him harshly.

Hisato staggered back in shock. "W-well maybe we can hide it in Hifumi's backpack."

"Do you even hear yourself? You caused her to cry for no reason. Apologize to her right now." Junko ignored his previous comment. She didn't admit that she liked his idea to hide it in Hifumi's backpack. No one would dare to check him, much less touch him.

"Why do I have to apologize?"

Junko gritted her teeth. "Stop being a jerk and apologize!" She pushed him closer to Chihiro.

_'This is so bogus! She's the one that fucked up.' _Hisato thought bitterly. If there was one thing he absolutely hated, it's when a scheme doesn't work became someone didn't do their part. Schemes required one's best ability and Chihiro didn't even attempt it.

Friend or not, Hisato didn't want to apologize to Chihiro. But alas, he had to with Junko forcing him to do so.

"Listen Chihiro, I'm sorry alright. I should've gotten someone like Junko or myself to get it. I shouldn't have yelled at you," Hisato apologized, patting Chihiro's shoulder.

China appeared more upset than before. "S-so what you're saying i-is that I'm n-not strong enough?"

_'Yes.'_ Is what Hisato wanted to say.

"That's not what I'm implying per se. You have plenty of other strengths. Like your knack with technology. You're the Ultimate Programmer after all. You'll be very useful when we do eventually get the laptop. You're the only person for the job!" He said in an effort to cheer her up.

Luckily, it worked like a charm.

Chihiro wiped the tears draining from her eyes. "Y-you really mean that?" She asked hopefully.

Hisato nodded. "Of course I do. You may not be capable of doing a stealth mission but that's quite alright. You're plenty more qualified in other areas that make up for it." He spread his arms out wide. "Bring it in pipsqueak."

Chihiro slammed into his chest, sobbing quietly. Hisato had the most uncomfortable expression on his face. He awkwardly patted her back as she hugged him tightly.

Junko snickered, picturing his face when he finds out about Chihiro's secret.

"Th-thank you, Sasaki-sama!" Chihiro looked up at him and smiled. Hisato awkwardly returned the gesture, not daring to hug her back.

"Anytime Chihiro. Just please stop crying," Hisato pleaded. Thankfully, Chihiro did just that and released her hold on him.

She stared at him again, her eyes brimming with admiration.

_'W-wow! Sasaki-sama is a perfect role model! He's exactly how a guy should act…' _Her last thought slightly staggered her demeanor but not for long.

"Great. Now that you two have made up, let's head on down to the cafeteria and Sato-chan will fix us up some lunch," Junko proposed slyly.

Hisato's eyes turned into dots. "Hey! Wait a min-"

"Really? Thanks, Sasaki-sama!" Chihiro thanked him, glad that he was going to prepare lunch for them. "You really are the best!"

Her compliment stunned Hisato. He thought about it and rubbed the back of his head.

"I-I guess I can make lunch. It won't be anything fancy though." He changed his mind. Hearing Chihiro's kind words sparked a flame in Hisato's chest. One that ignited Hisato's passion to lead their group.

"Y-yes!" Chihiro and Hisato ventured off to the cafeteria.

Junko watched them with a thoughtful expression on her face.

'_So his weakness remains the same_.' Junko shook her head, disgusted by his behavior.

A frown graced her lips.

She still felt like killing Hisato would be the optimal choice, yet she couldn't kill him right now. She had a scheduled meeting with someone later at night anyway.

"Despair can truly be quite a workload..." Junko muttered, ready to go follow her _'friends.'_

"What the hell?! Why is there a bazooka here!?" She heard Mondo holler in shock, followed by Hisato's laughter.

Some things never do change.


	3. Ch 1: Two Heads Are Better Than One II

Everyone met back up in the cafeteria. They decided to discuss their findings like the past two days.

"Dammit!" Leon cursed, rubbing his head angrily. "I'm telling you no matter how much times I look I come up with squat!"

"Same here." The sixteen students shared a collective groan. They had three days to look for ways out but still came back empty-handed. The morale was at an all-time low.

"We're stuck. We're never getting out of here." Chihiro began to shed tears. "No one is coming to help us…" She held back a sob, trembling in fright.

Hisato thought about giving her a few comforting words. Hina managed to beat him to it because she sat right next to her.

"Aww. Chin up Fujisaki-chan. Someone on the outside is bound to start missing us soon," She said with a kind smile.

"Yeah! Of course!" Toko realized that there was a ray of hope after all in the midst of her panic. When people notice they were gone, help will arrive at the school to break them out.

Junko, however, didn't see it that way. "You think so?"

"Well. We've been gone long enough to raise the alarm." Hina raised three of her fingers. "We're talking three days. The police are bound to be closing the net on this place!"

Hisato listened to their conversation with little interest. He only came because he wished to eat, but then everyone happened to be here and Taka declared a meeting. This would be the first meeting he and Junko are attending.

Suddenly, Hisato felt something on his lap. He sat at one of the ends of the table, Hifumi sitting at the other end. The Ultimate Schemer dared not to look at what decided to have a seat on him.

Monokuma's laughter rang from below. Hisato gasped once he finally looked down. Monokuma used Hisato's lap as a chair.

"Gah! Get off of me!" Hisato's quickly removed himself from the chair. Monokuma shrugged and took his place.

"Dear, dear. You're not handing your bets on law enforcement's?" Monokuma's face hardened. "You know it's quite simple. If you want out of here all I got to see is some initiative," He reminded them.

Everyone tensed up. They glared at Monokuma, not knowing what his next move would be.

Monokuma crossed his arms. "Well, I got to hand it to your generations ears. You got balls when it comes to authority. Frankly, the attitude only goes so far you're boring me to tears."

Makoto shook his head.

"If you think you can trick us into killing someone you're crazier than I thought!" He yelled.

Monokuma pounded his paws together.

"Eureka! That's the problem. Granted, my setup is perfect. The right atmosphere, a good balance of tension and intrigue, the perfect amount of pressure. But not the vital ingredient to bring it all together!"

Leon slammed his fist onto the table. "What are you getting at buddy bear?!" He demanded.

"Motivation, son." Monokuma's cheeks reddened. "All students report to the AV Room at once. For a brief, informative presentation on just what I need." He silently giggled, imagining the eventual outcome of someone killing because of his little… motivation speech.

Monokuma left in a blink of an eye.

Hisato glanced at Junko, then at Hifumi, and finally at Chihiro. They visited the AV Room more often so they knew the place well. If Monokuma wanted them to go there specifically, then that meant he most likely had some sort of video.

"Let's not keep the bear waiting." Hisato knew firsthand how Monokuma behaved when angered.

The sixteen students exited the cafeteria and entered the AV Room.

Unlike last time, the lights were completely off. A box rested on top of one of the monitors. Hisato peeked inside to see what it contained.

"There are discs here with our names," Hisato informed. He picked up his own disc and read what was scribbled with a marker.

**Hisato Sasaki's DVD**

_'Woah. What the hell is on this DVD?_' He wondered as he positioned himself in the middle of the monitors. There were two pairs of monitors next to each other with a barricade used to block only the screen.

"Time to see what the hell is in this shit." Hisato grabbed his DVD. By now, everyone found a place to watch their videos. Some sat with each other while others chose to sit alone.

Junko walked over to sit with Hisato. Out of everyone, Kyoko shockingly took the spot next to Hisato. Junko grumbled something unpleasant and sat at the very back on her own.

_'Oh no.' _Hisato didn't spare a single glance at Kyoko. He literally didn't know a single thing about her, which frightened him. He had no real leverage on her, thus making Kyoko someone he wished not to deal with.

Hisato took a deep breath and inserted his DVD in. He grabbed the nearby headphone and put them on.

The screen lit up, showcasing a familiar room with a familiar person there.

_'Uncle Dojavik?'_ Hisato recognized the man as his uncle. He got along with his uncle more than his father, mostly because he was a trickster that was more lenient with the things Hisato did. His father usually argued with him a lot for his schemes.

"Heya kiddo! Glad to hear you're going to _'the' _Hope's Peak Academy! Like, what the hell? You're more special than I thought. You can't do that to someone as ordinary as me!" His uncle's laughter brought a genuine smile to Hisato's face.

"Your parents may not agree with it, but you have my full support! Go and show everyone what you're made of!" His uncle Dojavik grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

The screen started to flicker until it went black, much to Hisato's confusion.

The screen came back on, only this time the room was dark. All the furniture was destroyed and the walls were vandalized.

In the middle of the room was his uncle Dojavik. His lifeless body hanging from a noose.

"What the fuck?!" Hisato ripped the headphones off his head and threw them down harshly. He put his hands on his head, shaking it wildly.

_'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This is so not real! This can't be fucking happening!'_ Hisato repeated in his head.

He wasn't the only one to freak out greatly. Sayaka Maizono screamed louder and pushed her back against the wall.

"Noooo!" Sayaka screamed.

"Fuck!" Hisato lost his cool demeanor. "I have to get out of here… I need to see if he's alright!"

He suddenly remembered what the requirement was to gain access to the outside world. He needed to kill someone and get away with it. The knife hidden underneath his shirt felt heavier as he considered his options.

'_N-no… Monokuma is just bullshitting us. There no way Uncle Dojavik is dead. He's trying to get us to kill.'_ Hisato's refused to believe that his uncle was dead. His uncle was smart and strong. There was no way someone murdered him out of the blue and wrecked his house.

Although, the possibility of it really being true clouded Hisato's mind. The video couldn't have been faked. It appeared too real to be fake.

Then he considered what Monokuma said before. He said the final ingredient of having his plan work was motivation. The motivation needed to force someone to kill.

It all made sense now. Hisato hoped that he had Monokuma's plan scouted out. It almost worked too. For now, he needed to get a hold of himself. Otherwise, the urge to get out of the school by any means necessary would haunt him.

Hisato didn't plan on killing anyone. It's morally wrong in his books. The thought of actually killing a living human being disturbed him tremendously.

His eyes wandered over to the person next to him, Kyoko. She abruptly stood up and stared at Monokuma.

"Yeah, who are you really?" She asked, her face as stoic as usual. That's what Hisato disliked the most about her. It's impossible to tell how Kyoko is feeling. "And what are you getting out of this? Is this all some kind of sick game to you?"

Monokuma sat in front of the room. He monitored everyone, loving their devastated reactions. He kept his eyes on one particular girl who reacted the worst.

"Yes. What am I getting out of this? Very good question." Monokuma leaned forward creepily. "My payoff… is your **despair**!"

Sayaka reached her breaking point as soon as he said that.

"Nooooo!" She screamed, running out of the room.

"Maizono-san! Wait!" Makoto called out to her. He went after his grieving friend in a hurry.

Hisato rubbed his temples. His stress slowly dispelled and it was replaced with amusement. He began to chuckle darkly. That chuckling turned into full-blown laughter.

"Hahaha! Oh man! You really got us good bear! You did, really!" Hisato got up and left the room laughing his heart out.

"Dude. I think he finally went crazy," Leon said uncomfortably.

"Enough of that. We have to go check on Maizono-chan!" Hina ordered, worried for her friend. The rest of the students, minus Kyoko, Byakuya, Toko, and Celeste went to go check on Sayaka.

What they didn't expect was to see Sayaka on the floor and Hisato towering over her. Makoto was also on the floor, leaning against the wall.

"Snap out of it idiot! What the fuck are you crying for?!" Hisato yelled straight to her face. Sayaka held her cheek, making it seem like Hisato hit her. "Monokuma is messing with your head. Don't succumb to his game!"

"N-no! I need to get out of here! No one is coming to help is!" Sayaka protested.

"No, you don't! And do you think acting like a maniac is going to help?! I dare you to try something because we all know you won't so cool it!" Hisato pulled Makoto back up and shoved him towards Sayaka. "Calm your girlfriend down. I'm not dealing with this."

Sayaka threw herself at Makoto and sobbed heavily on his chest.

"R-right…" Makoto nodded. By then, Hisato stormed off to who knows where.

"Geez. They both got all riled up because of their videos," Hiro noted. He heard both Sayaka and Hisato's yells even with his headphones on.

"I don't blame them. Their videos must have been more traumatizing." Taka shuddered, recounting his own video.

"The ones inside don't seem to have any issues," Sakura pointed out, impressed by their bravery. That meant a lot coming from her since she is as bulky as an ogre.

"That stupid idiot…" Junko huffed. She thought about going after him, but then she decided not to at all. She got the idea that if Hisato was this worked up over his DVD, then the motivation will strike him first.

He'll commit the first murder. The plan was working out smoothly. Now all she had to do is wait.

"Should one of us go after Mr. Sasaki?" Hifumi questioned.

"Nah. He'll get it all sorted out," Junko replied coolly. "Boys like him should be able to handle problems on their own like the way they ogle women." She didn't forget about the interaction she had with Hisato. Him calling her hot and all that jazz.

"But maybe we should-"

"I said he'll be fine," Junko repeated herself, cutting off Chihiro's words. "If it'll make you feel better we'll go visit him later."

Chihiro and Hifumi nodded, liking the idea.

The group of students watched as one of their friends were in the middle of a mental breakdown.

Their predicament rose through the roof. Everything went so well until Monokuma gave them their DVD's.

Despair is slowly but surely spreading throughout the school.

* * *

The evening soon came about. As promised, Junko, Chihiro, and Hifumi stood outside Hisato's door. Chihiro carried a plate of food for Hisato because he didn't show up for dinner.

Junko pressed the doorbell several times. She got fed up with Hisato's unresponsiveness and began shaking the doorknob.

"Open up! It's just us!" Junko said, banging on the door. After one full minute, the door opened, revealing a disheveled Hisato.

"The hell do you all want? I'm trying to sleep," Hisato grumbled, tugging the edges of his beanie. He wore it to hide his bed hair.

"Sleeping already?" Hifumi inquired curiously.

Hisato yawned, "Well yeah. I desperately want some rest after what happened earlier. I want to sleep through the whole night. I have a bad feeling about tonight. Best to sleep through it."

What thought to be just a hunch turned into a sneaky suspicion for Hisato as time passed on. He didn't know what it was, but an eerie feeling crept through his mind. Especially after seeing Sayaka's mental breakdown.

That and he basically challenged her to do something to him. Not one of his smartest ideas now that he looked back at it.

Hopefully, Makoto talked some sense into her.

"We brought you dinner, Sasaki-sama." Chihiro entered his room without his permission and placed the plate on his desk.

"Thanks, I guess." Hisato paused, glancing at the plate. "How'd you know what sandwich I like? This is literally everything I love combined into one!" Hisato smiled. He lifted the top bread off and saw the contents of the sandwich.

"Huh? O-oh! Miss Enoshima was the one who told us what to get. Miss Fujisaki fixed it up for you," Hifumi answered.

"Don't tell him that!" Junko hissed. Hifumi merely shrugged, not seeing the problem with it.

"Thank you, Chihiro, and you too Junko. It's sorta weird how much you know about me," Hisato said to Junko. He started to eat his sandwich in peace.

_'Good. The food is distracting him from my actions.' _Junko scolded herself for even telling Chihiro what to make Hisato for dinner. She knew what he liked best and didn't think too much about it.

"We also came to check up on you Mr. Sasaki," Hifumi added in. Hisato stopped eating his food and stared at the floor.

"Hehe…" Hisato chuckled sheepishly. "About that. It's nothing to worry about. I'm over it now. Only a little bump in the road. What you do need to worry about is yourselves."

The way he said that unsettled Hifumi and Chihiro, while it excited Junko.

"You sure you're alright?" Hifumi asked him again.

"Yeah, I am. I appreciate your concern. If you do want to help, promise me one thing." Hisato poked his sandwich a bit.

"Anything!"

Hisato looked at each of them dead in the eye.

"Lock your doors. Barricade them. Whatever it takes, make sure your damn door won't open. Promise me you three will do that," Hisato pleaded.

"Is that it? I suppose so Mr. Sasaki," Hifumi replied, confused. He already kept his door locked whenever he went to sleep. But Hisato adding in the extra tidbit of barricading their doors was weird.

"W-will do!" Chihiro nodded rapidly. She shared similar thoughts like Hifumi. Though, she wouldn't dare to go against Hisato's plead.

"Sure." Junko internally rejoiced. Now she knew he was going to pull something risky.

Chihiro suddenly groaned and rubbed her arm.

"What? Did someone hit you?" Hisato asked, going back to eating his sandwich after everyone agreed to his terms.

"No. Take a look." Chihiro pulled up her sleeve and stuck out her arm, revealing a swollen, bright red bump.

"Ouch." Hifumi cringed.

Chihiro looked at the red bump sadly. "Just a little bit ago, it stopped being itchy, and kind of started to hurt."

Hisato got up with his sandwich in hand and examined the red bump closely. "A mosquito bite? Why didn't you just slap it away?"

"Um…" Chihiro's cheeks reddened. "I just happened to look down at my arm last night and saw the mosquito sitting there. I didn't do anything. I watched as it drank its fill of my blood."

"You seriously didn't smack it?" Hisato deadpanned.

"If I smacked it, it would have died," Chihiro revealed innocently. "I'm sure it was just hungry and that's why it took so much blood. I would've felt bad not giving it anything when it was so hungry…"

"Seriously?"

Chihiro closed her eyes, ashamed.

"Mosquitoes are living things, just like all of us. I'm sure he has a family of his own too… I'm sorry…" She apologized profoundly.

"Mosquitoes don't even live that long." Hisato shook his head. "Don't scratch it and you'll be fine."

"But what if it gets really, really itchy?" Chihiro questioned.

"Then tough it out. You're strong, right?"

"S-strong?" Chihiro's face brightened. "Y-yes! You're right! Thanks, Sasaki-sama!"

Hisato's eyes then set their sight on the iron plates. "It is a bit strange though. Where would a mosquito even come from if all the windows are boarded up."

Chihiro thought about this too. "Maybe there's like, a garden or something somewhere in the school, where bugs can survive…" Her eyes lit up. "Or maybe there's a secret passage connected to the outside."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up." Hisato didn't see it that way. Chihiro's first suggestion sounded more logical. "But I wouldn't count it out either." He added that last part in so Chihiro wouldn't be upset.

It worked.

"If that's all, I will like to continue sleeping."

"Of course! Goodnight Sasaki-sama!" Chihiro bid him farewell and was the first one to leave.

"Take care, Mr. Sasaki." Hifumi headed back to his room too.

Junko looked like she was about to say something but held off against it. She was halfway out the door before she decided she did have one last thing to say to Hisato.

"Good luck."

Once everyone had left, Hisato quickly locked the door shut and rushed to his desk. He grabbed a paper file with something written on the tab.

It read:

**Sayaka Maizono - Ultimate Pop Sensation**

_'Shit. I didn't think I'd need to do this so soon. I need to study her files and plan the best course of action.' _Hisato thought as he opened the file and began writing his thought down.

He didn't know how much time had passed since he started writing. He ignored Monokuma's night announcements in favor of not breaking his concentration.

He wrote two pages worth of ideas before he heard something from behind.

Someone slipped a piece of paper from under the crack at the bottom of the door.

"What the hell…" Hisato got to his feet and went over to his door. He picked up the note and read over it.

'**Come see me in my room. Check the nameplates to make sure you don't get the wrong room, okay?**

**Sayaka**

"Son of a bitch. Does she really think I'm that stupid?" Hisato frowned.

He felt his heart skip a beat. This is really happening. Someone actually was planning on committing murder.

The planned victim, none other than Hisato Sasaki himself.

"Should I do something about it or leave it be?" Obviously, the best choice would be to ignore the note. But something in his head told him to teach Sayaka a lesson. That she needed to learn who she's messing with.

Hisato placed the note under his beanie. So in case things go awry, the others will have a lead. No one will walk out scott free. Those who play Monokuma's game will be brought to justice.

Unaware of the rule that Celeste implanted days prior, Hisato exited his dorm during nighttime hours.

Roaming the halls at night was a much different vibe than in the day. The dead silence made Hisato uncomfortable. Everyone had to be sleeping by now. Well, everyone except Sayaka.

He memorized the floor layout by heart. Being cooped up in his dorm alone allowed him to learn much faster than he would've with the company around.

Imagine what went through his head when he came across Sayaka's room with Makoto's nameplate on there instead.

"W-what? This isn't Makoto's room." Hisato quickly ran towards where Makoto's real room is. Sayaka's nameplate was plastered over his door.

_'They switched nameplates. But why?'_ Hisato didn't have time to dwell on the matter. He needed a new plan. Their nameplates switches up the concern of whether his plan would work or not.

As far as he knew, there were some differences between the boy's and girl's dorm. The girls' bathroom doors have locks on them and they don't have tool kits like the guys do.

Sighing, Hisato elected to ditch his plan. There was absolutely no point in going inside_ 'Sayaka's' _room blindly.

So he proceeded towards his room again to think it over.

* * *

Sayaka impatiently waited for her victim. She grasped the kitchen knife in her hands, slithering her finger across the sharp blade.

"Where is he… where is he?!" Sayaka flung the knife at the wall. She was beyond pissed that Hisato hadn't shown up at all.

She came up with the conclusion that someone like Hisato wouldn't fall for her trap so easily. In fact, there was no reason for him to even show up at her supposed dorm. They weren't even friends, so why would he show up?

"Gahhh!" Sayaka pulled the ends of her hair, screaming as loudly as she pleased. The rooms were soundproof after all.

"I need to get out of here. I need to see them…" Sayaka grabbed Makoto's notepad again and wrote the same message that she sent Hisato.

Only this time, she had a different victim in mind.

_'Kuwata-kun. He's as hot-tempered as he is stupid. I saw the looks he was giving me.'_ Sayaka's first choice was Hisato only because he kept on making Makoto sad. Leon is next on the list because she saw him as the easiest person to manipulate into coming to _her_ dorm.

She had to throw Makoto under the bus. A detail in her plan that she disliked heavily but he was the only person who she knew would trade rooms with her. She wasn't closer to anyone but him.

When she successfully murders Leon and frames Makoto for it because Leon's corpse will be in his room, she'll be free to leave and see her friends.

Then she'd apologized to Makoto afterward. He may not forgive her, it's a huge price to pay. She didn't do everything that she did to reach her dream for nothing. It will not go to waste.

This will just end up being added to one of those_ "bad" _things that she did to achieve her dream. After all, only killing one person wouldn't be so terrible. Everyone else would find a way out of the school together. She'd just escape faster than the rest.

Or so she thought. She'd learn that revelation later on when it's too late.

Sayaka marched out of her dorm and walked to where Leon's dorm is located. She slipped the note from under his door and rushed back to Makoto's room.

Her plan is set in motion. Now she had to make sure nothing went wrong.

* * *

Morning soon arrived. Makoto Naegi slept peacefully, despite it being weird to sleep in a girl's bed. It wasn't much different than his own.

Monokuma's daily morning announcements woke mostly everyone up as usual.

Makoto's eyes fluttered open.

"Oh, that's right. Maizono-san and I switched rooms last night, didn't we?" Waking up slightly disoriented Makoto with different surroundings.

He sluggishly removed himself from Sayaka's bed and left her room to the cafeteria.

Everyone agreed to eat breakfast together every morning. It was like a roll call of sorts, to settle everyone's nerves.

Makoto entered the cafeteria and spotted Sakura, Hina, Chihiro, and Taka already there as punctual as ever. He kind of classified them as the good kids, including himself.

Not much later, Mondo, Hifumi, and Junko strode inside the cafeteria. They greeted their fellow classmates as they took their seats.

Sakura, however, had a few questions for Junko.

"Excuse me for gawking..." Sakura started.

Junko raised an eyebrow. "What's the haps?"

"Well, you look so different. In-person that is. Forgive me." Much like Hisato a few days ago, Sakura noticed how different Junko appeared than her appearance on magazine covers.

Junko giggled, "Yeah, they sort of glisten me up for the magazine shoots. That's the magic of touching up for ya."

Sakura grunted, "Hmph. You don't say?" She remained skeptical of Junko's explanation.

"Aw, come on. How different can I really look? You're going to hurt my feelings," She pouted cutely.

Sakura dismissed the discussion, not wanting to offend Junko in any way.

Finally, the last batch of students arrived. They consisted of Kyoko, Leon, Celeste, and Hiro.

Hiro had an excuse for his tardiness.

"Well, that's the thing. I didn't oversleep. I got lost. I'm telling ya. This place is like a freaking labyrinth," Hiro explained.

When everyone settled in, Taka got up from his seat.

"This still isn't everyone though."

Hina caught on as well. "Yeah. Where are Togami, Fukawa-chan, Sasaki, and Maizono-chan?"

Everyone looked around to find out that Hina was correct. Usually, Sayaka, Byakuya, and Toko were here. Hisato rarely showed up though since no one told him about the agreement they had.

Makoto's head perked up at the mention of Sayaka and Hisato's names.

"Well okay, here's one of them." Byakuya casually walked in and sat at a separated table from the rest of the students.

"Dude, is Maizono, Sasaki, or Fukawa behind you or what? I'm starving." Mondo asked, wanting to have everyone present so they can finally eat.

"Do I look like their keeper? I came here directly from my room thank you very much," Byakuya snarked, sitting down.

Hifumi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Little out of character for her and Miss Fukawa to be this late. Miss Maizono is usually here before I am too."

"Uh oh. Do you think maybe she's sick?" Hina questioned worriedly.

"Is Sasaki-sama alright? Did any of you check up on him?" Chihiro asked Hifumi and Junko.

"I didn't. I thought Mr. Sasaki wished to be by himself," Hifumi responded honestly.

"Nah." Junko almost failed to hold back a snicker. Either Hisato is dead or he's still trying to cover up some dirt. She was fine with either if it meant Hisato was gone.

Hiro saw Makoto stare at his lap without moving a muscle. "What? You alright dude?"

Makoto jumped out of his seat.

"Excuse me. I should probably go check on her!" He made a beeline to his room.

Chihiro hopped out of her chair. "We should go check on Sasaki-sama too!" She, Hifumi, and Junko journeyed off to Hisato's room.

Makoto stopped running right in front of his room and called out to Sayaka. "Maizono-san!" He fumbled with the doorknob. For some strange reason, it opened straight away when it should've been locked.

What he witnessed inside made his stomach twist.

The room was a total wreck. Sayaka wasn't in his bed. The floors and walls had been damaged and the replica sword that he found was on the floor instead of on his shelf.

"Please don't tell me this is what I think it is," Makoto begged. Sayaka was nowhere to be found. The only other place that she could be is in his… bathroom.

Makoto apprehensively approached his bathroom door. It had a funny way of opening. Apparently, his door needed to be repaired. He needed to lift it in order to open the door.

"Maizono-san? I'm coming in!" Makoto opened the door using the technique he learned from Monokuma.

Immediately, something pounced on him like a tiger catching their prey.

"Maizono-san!" Makoto felt a huge wave of relief overcome him. The thing that pounced on him was none other than Sayaka Maizono. Though, something was very off about her.

Her hair was a mess. She had dark rings around her eyes, indicating that she hadn't slept at all. Her face was filled with absolute terror and she held onto her right wrist in pain. He could've sworn that he spotted something gold on her wrist.

"Maizono-san?" Makoto shook her in order to get a response. She didn't utter a word. Her frail body shook frequently and she shed several tears.

The Ultimate Lucky Student had no time to press forward as he heard the shouts of several people coming from down the hall.

"St-stay here! I have to go see what's going on!" Makoto helped assist Sayaka to his bed and left her there to go see what's up.

Just about everyone crowded Hisato's door. Hifumi was at the front of the pack, ringing his doorbell and knocking on the door.

"Mr. Sasaki! If you're there open the door!" Hifumi cried out worriedly.

"Sasaki-sama!" Chihiro squeaked anxiously.

"Yo bear! Unlock this damn door for us!" Mondo summoned Monokuma.

"Hmm? Why should I?"

"Just do it!" Several students shouted in unison. Monokuma sighed and disappeared. He granted their request. Hisato's door was now unlocked and everyone rushed inside.

In Chihiro's perspective not much had changed since she last visited his room. It remained a mess, no signs of Hisato actually cleaning up were seen.

Speaking of which, Hisato was nowhere to be found.

Hifumi cautiously gripped the doorknob of his bathroom. Gulping, he pushed the door open and…

"He's not in here?" No one was inside the bathroom. Everyone scratched their heads, confused as to how Hisato's door was locked yet no one was inside.

Junko felt something splash down at her face. She wiped it off with her finger and inspected. An all too familiar red liquid surrounded her finger.

Junko looked up, seeing exactly what she hoped for.

Then she let out a scream.

The tense atmosphere already made most of them uncomfortable. The sudden loud scream caused everyone to jump and look at Junko.

She pointed her finger up at the ceiling, feigning a horrified expression.

One by one, everyone looked up and a chorus of terror-filled gasps and screams rang throughout the room.

On the ceiling was a figure who was tied up to ensure that they'd stay on. A heavy wound is located on their chest. Blood still leaked from the body, but no signs of movements came from them.

Who suffered such a despicable fate? Well, it's someone who had the misfortune of intervening on a scene that they weren't supposed to find out. They tried to put a stop to it but failed in the worst way possible.

Toko Fukawa's body latched onto the ceiling by a rope, dead. There was something off about her appearance, but that wasn't the main issue.

"Fukawa-chan?!" Hina screamed. "H-how did she even…?"

"Dammit!" Mondo cursed.

"W-what?!" Taka couldn't believe his eyes. Someone actually listened to Monokuma. Now one of their friends is dead for the price of freedom.

Makoto stared at the corpse, unable to comprehend what just transpired.

And then it happened. A jingle that will forever be integrated into their mind.

**Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!**

The intercom turned on.

**"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"**

The announcement made Toko's death official. There was no denying that Monokuma's game would now commence.

Leon gritted his teeth. "Well, I believe it's painfully obvious who did it." He slammed his fist at the wall.

"Yes, I believe quite so." Byakuya crossed his arms, examining Toko's dead body. He had no issues with taking a closer look at the corpse.

"Wait! But he wouldn't-" Chihiro tried to defend her friend before more accusations broke out.

"Fukawa's body was found in his room. Who else could've done it?" Hiro placed both hands on his head, trying to regain his composure.

"Not Mr. Sasaki! That's for sure!" Hifumi insisted.

Sakura and Celeste stayed relatively calm for the most part, unlike their panicking classmates.

"I say the best course of action right now is to find our other missing classmate," Kyoko spoke out, loud enough to get everyone's attention.

"What was that announcement all about though?" Hina crossed her arms and looked off to the side. "Does it officially announce someone's death?"

"You're getting there!" Monokuma appeared out of nowhere. He put his paws over his mouth, giggling madly at Toko's corpse. "What played was the body discovery announcement. It will come on once at least three people - not counting the blackened - discover a corpse! Do get used to it!"

Makoto's eyes sharpened, "I know you di-"

"Everyone is to report to the gymnasium immediately!" Monokuma cut him off rudely.

Mondo shook his head. "Hell no! Do you believe we'll listen to you?!"

"That is so disrespectful! We must get Fukawa-kun down from there and-" Taka's words came to a halt when Monokuma fished out his bazooka and pointed it at Taka.

"I said every one to the gymnasium now! Emergency pep rally!" Monokuma shouted. Everyone scrambled out of Hisato's room, leaving Toko's corpse and the mystery of who done it unsolved.

When the students reluctantly all gathered in the gym. Much to their immense shock, Hisato Sasaki was already there.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Hisato cursed aloud continuously, unaware that everyone else was there with him.

"Murderer!" Mondo instantly accused him right on the spot.

Hisato turned around, exposing his exhausted face. "Did you say something?"

"Like hell, something happened! Fukawa is fucking dead and she's in your room!" The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader snarled.

Hisato's eyes widened. "Eh?! Toko's dead?!" He gasped.

"Stop playing coy! We know it was you who do it!" Mondo continued to pressure him.

"Dude! Shouldn't we be going to find out who the culprit is?" Either Hisato's acting skills were amazing or he really didn't know what happened.

"Bullshit!"

"Listen." Hisato rubbed his shoulder funnily. "I don't know what happened last night. I remember sending Junko, Chihiro, and Hifumi off and then I went straight to bed. Next thing I know, that dumbass Monokuma is shaking me awake and I was in one of the bathroom stalls. He threatened me with death if I didn't show up here." He explained his disappearance.

Byakuya snorted, "Do you honestly expect us to believe that?"

"I don't give two shits what you think pretty boy. I know what happened to me and that's all that I care about," Hisato growled, not helping his case whatsoever.

A period of silence bestowed upon them. Hisato felt severals judging eyes on him. Not a lot of people bought his excuse.

Just then, Makoto entered the gymnasium with a disheveled Sayaka.

"Good. Maizono-chan is here!" Hina smiled, relieved that she hadn't suffered a fate similar to Toko.

Sayaka didn't spare a glance at the Ultimate Swimming Pro. She did, however, briefly look at Hisato.

When she did, the quickest of smirks came and left Hisato's lips. Sayaka staggered back some. She lowered her head significantly.

"Sato-kun! You're alright!" Makoto smiled. His face slightly fell when he caught Hisato favoring his left shoulder. "Is your shoulder okay?"

Hisato instinctively removed his hand from his left shoulder at once. "Oh yeah. I just slept badly is all. I mean, sleeping in a bathroom stall does that to ya."

Makoto nodded, understanding his predicament. His face then turned serious.

"F-Fukawa-san… she's dead." Makoto is one of the few who don't believe Hisato killed her. "I-It has to be Monokuma! H-he killed her! Who else could've gotten her up on the ceiling?"

Before anyone could respond, Monokuma's voice came from the stage.

"As if little 'ol me would do something like that." Monokuma stood on top of the podium. He raised his left arm. Scouts honor! It wasn't me."

Makoto refused to believe him. "You monster!"

"Use your head Mr. Jumps to Conclusions. Why would I do something that goes against the whole point of this fine institution? You're supposed to do the killing, not me! Rules are rules. You should've seen me at the zoo and folks ignored the _'Don't feed the bear' _sign!"

Chihiro rose her finger. "Th-then who else… I mean-"

"Like we don't know." Monokuma's cut her off abruptly. Wake up and smell the formaldehyde! The killer is… one of you!" He declared proudly.

Gasps filled the gymnasium. Their worst fears have come true. A sadistic individual did listen to Monokuma's offer after all. But who?

Junko tuned out Monokuma's speech. Everything was going according to plan. She met up with their oh so lovely principal last night and discussed the plan. Two more people were set to be killed.

Hisato and _her death _was already planned out. Hisato would be the executed once the trial concluded, or if he really didn't do it everyone will be killed. Either way, Junko and the principal decided that she'd pretend to go ballistic and attack him.

Attacking the principal is strictly against the rules. Junko arranged for her to be locked in a dungeon when she will assault Monokuma and get punished for it. There was a room in the school where she'll hide out for the rest of Monokuma's game.

_'A plan coming together. Sato-chan would most definitely approve.' _Her eyes landed on Hisato's form. Surprisingly, a sense of guilt overcame her._ 'Ugh… he's been there for us for a while now. It's going to suck not __having him around... wait what am I saying?'_

Junko reprimanded herself for even having such thoughts. Backing out last second is not an option. Hisato needs to die, or else that ounce of Despair won't travel amongst their classmates. It'll no doubt hit them the most, but as long as his death gets the job done then they were all in on the plan.

The price to spread despair is heavy, but in the end, their whole mission is to spread as much despair as possible anyway. Even if it meant their lives.

What made think different is the fact that Hisato didn't know who he truly is. He's basically some poor sucker who doesn't know how much of importance he is to the plan.

"Of course he's lying!" Makoto cried out.

"Sorry Charlie. I'm telling the truth. It was definitely one of you." Monokuma answered creepily. "Right now, someone's standing here knows that all too well."

Each student look at the people around them. Distrust began to form.

Taka spoke up. "I demand whoever did it, come forward immediately!" He demanded.

"Tch. As if that'll work smartass." Hisato grimaced once all eyes were now on him.

"Look. Whoever it is I won't judge." Celeste looked at him specifically, believing him to be the most suspicious too.

Hifumi panicked. "It wasn't me! I swear!" He then turned to Leon, who immediately got defensive.

"Nuh-uh! I know you're not looking at me!" The Ultimate Baseball Player clenched his fist aggressively.

Byakuya had enough of this.

"Silence! All of you." Everyone went silent. "Right. Let us assume that the perpetrator is, in fact, one of us. By your own rules shouldn't they have graduated by now?" Byakuya asked Monokuma.

Monokuma burst into a fit of giggles. He then went on to explain the rules of his little game. After each killing, there'll be time to investigate the crime scene and scout for clues. Once the allotted time is up, they all meet up and begin a trial.

During the trial, if the guilty party gets accused of killing the victim and gets caught, they'll be punished and the remaining people get to live on in normal school conditions.

However, if the guilty party manages to slide under the radar and an innocent person gets the mallet instead, the guilty party will win their freedom and the rest have to face punishment.

Hisato listened intently to Monokuma's explanation. A court trial is an excellent way to showcase his skills and prove to everyone how much of a valuable asset he could be.

Sayaka however, froze as still as a statue when she heard the rules. Disbelief was present on her face. She thought there'd only been one murder and that was it. Now there's apparently a trial and if the murderers actually win, the rest get killed off.

She stared at Makoto throughout the explanation, feeling worse and worse by the minute.

Hifumi raised his hand. "Uh, sir. These punishments… what do they consist of?"

"Ah!" Monokuma perked up. "I suppose another name for them would be executions."

Chihiro gasped, "But surely, y-you don't mean that-"

"Oh ho! I mean exactly that sweetheart. We're talking, electrocution, gas chamber, death by a hurricane! Which yes, we can make happen."

"Wait. I want to be sure I understand. Deciding incorrectly and the jury gets killed?" Taka question anxiously.

"Well obviously." Hisato sneered. "We're playing his stupid game. We're basics playing as judge, jury, and executioner. No matter what happens, at least one person is dying and we're all risking our lives."

Monokuma's cheeks reddened. "Why thank you Sato-chan! I couldn't have said it better myself!" He giggled when Hisato's face twisted in anger from the name.

Mondo stepped forward. "Can't we just start this trial right now? We all know he's guilty as shit!" He pointed an accusing finger at Hisato.

"Excuse me? How do we know you're not the culprit and you're just pinning this on me?" Hisato countered.

"Because I know I'm innocent!"

"Well I know I'm innocent too! The hell kind of argument is that?!" Hisato and Mondo dangerously approached each other. A fight could break out at any second now.

Before the situation escalated, someone else grabbed everyone's attention.

"Nuh-uh! You're a nutjob and I refuse to be a part of this crap!" Junko said directly to Monokuma. The hidden plan is setting itself in motion as of right now.

"I beg your pardon?" Monokuma innocently tilted his head to the side.

"You heard me you psycho hairball! As far as I'm concerned the whole trial thing can get rigged!"

"But why?" Monokuma continued to play innocent.

Everyone watched on as Junko gave Monokuma a piece of her mind. None were brave enough to speak up, curiosity building within them.

_'What the hell is she doing?' _Hisato pinched the bridge of his nose. He disapproved of Junko's actions.

"Is that even a question?! I'm not playing jury if it means risking my damn life and that's that!" Junko bellowed.

"Be reasonable!" Monokuma pleaded.

"Don't even try to talk to me about being reasonable you sadistic freakazoid!" Junko placed her hands on her hips. "I'm out of the game!"

Monokuma's face heated up and his body sweated excitingly. "The presence of evil is so overpowering! Whatever shall I do? I shouldn't succumb! Perish the thought!"

He extracted his claws. "No! I'm stronger than that! When Monokuma fights, he fights to the last breath. I will not be defeated!" Monokuma hopped down the stage.

As soon as he did, Hisato reacted instantly.

"Get back you crazy bear!" He shoved Junko out of the way so he could confront him next. "Don't come near any of us! Have at it!" Hisato foot nearly reached Monokuma's face. He saw Monokuma's spread his arms out wide, allowing him to do as he pleased. When he did, Hisato got the message.

"Hey! I'm going to teach that bear a lesson first!" Junko went for a running boot to the face.

She didn't know what happened. One second she was about to execute the plan to attack Monokuma, the next she found herself on the floor with her cheek in extreme pain.

"You fucking idiot! Don't you remember what happened the first day?!" Hisato screeched to her face. Junko eyes widened in disbelief. He punched her. He actually punched her. "I almost died when I attacked Monokuma! Do you honestly think you're going to receive a warning too?!"

Junko's eyes never left his own. She was beyond shocked that someone actually cared about her safety.

"Aww! Sato-chan, you ruined everything!" Monokuma stomped his feet on the floor. Steam fumed from the top of his head.

"Shut up! I'm not allowing another person to be killed today, especially if it's my friend!" Hisato flipped him off, causing Monokuma to gasp in horror. He then looked back down at Junko and offered his hand. "Looks like I had to beat the sense into you. Don't make me do it again. Now tell me if it still hurts."

Junko blinked. She rapidly shook her head and slapped his hand away. "I-I'm fine!" She hastily got back to her feet. "Th-thanks…" She looked away, refusing to meet his eye.

"Good." Hisato smiled at Junko. "Don't lose your temper at the bear again. I'd hate to see you gone."

"Psh. Whatever." Junko didn't dare to look at him, somewhat embarrassed.

"Grrr! Sato-chan, you ruined my chance to enforce the rules on that ugly cow!" Monokuma roared. "And here I thought I'd let my favorite student slip out of my school without any requirements!"

Hisato's shoulders sagged. His jaw dropped. "S-seriously?"

"Nope!" Monokuma cackled. "Puhuhu! Look at Sato-chan's face! Now we're even!" He climbed back up the stage and onto the podium. "I thought I'd make you all realize that the gravity of your situation is beginning to sink in. Just remember students, high stakes are high. Best of luck playing junior detectives! The trial will begin soon. So put on those thinking caps and start investigating!"

Monokuma disappeared after giving his speech, leaving the students speechless.

"Tch. I don't know why we need this stupid trial. We all know it's that bastard!" Mondo once again went back to blaming Hisato. "Right guys?" He looked at Leon.

Leon flinched. He rubbed the back of his head and turned away. Mondo was surprised that Leon wasn't as vocal about his opinion of Hisato as before.

"We can't automatically assume that Sasaki-kun is the culprit, but he is the top suspect." Kyoko leads the conversation. "His alibi is that he somehow found himself in the bathroom when he woke up."

"Yes, I suppose you can say that's my alibi. That and I almost died again. But hey, I saved myself and someone else so that counts for something, right?" Hisato chuckled darkly.

Not everyone else saw it that way. The realization struck them that they couldn't potentially lose two more of their classmates.

"In any case, we won't rule you out as the prime suspect in Fukawa's death," Byakuya concluded.

"I propose that we move forward with the investigation." Celeste clasped her hands together. "Not to sound unduly harsh but mourning for lives lost can only worsen the chances of saving our own."

"Yeah, yeah. You're the edgy girl. We get it," Hisato grumbled.

"And you're also the murderer, we get it," Celeste retorted, wearing a small smile.

"Why you…"

Kyoko broke up the rising tension between the two. "Our personal feelings on the matter are neither here nor there. The situation was tasked with is to unmask the culprit or die. We don't have any evidence on Sasaki-kun so he is just as innocent as all of us until proven otherwise."

Kyoko's words softened Hisato's frustrations.

"Thanks, Kirigiri." They exchanged nods, acknowledging each other.

"Ah, crap. Heads up, guys. We got sent some new pages," Hiro warned them.

Hisato quickly pulled out his e-handbook. A notice popped up when he unlocked it. He clicked on it and it directed him to a new page. On it was Toko's picture with a red** 'X' **crossed over it, signifying her demise.

The description on the page described her death.

**Case 01**

**The victim is Toko Fukawa**

**Time of death: Roughly 1:45 am. Found in Hisato Sasaki's private room, tied up on the ceiling. Cause of Death: Stab wound to the chest with a butcher's knife. Multiple cuts located on her arms. There seems to be something… different about Toko Fukawa. Did her tongue get stretched out?**

The picture of Toko beside the descriptioned displayed a red spot right where her fatal injury is said to be.

**Truth Bullet Added: Monokuma File No. 1**

"I suppose that's a good place to start. Come now, everyone." Kyoko preceded to search Hisato's room. Everyone followed her lead.

"Hold on." Hisato stopped one individual dead in their tracks. "Sayaka. Dear 'ol pal. I wanna talk to you."

Sayaka froze on the spot, not moving an inch.

"As if! You're coming with us." Mondo opposed the idea of having Hisato unsupervised.

"Fine." The Ultimate Schemer raised his hands. "I'll let you watch over me. We'll talk later." Mondo nodded, approving his offer.

Before Hisato followed Mondo, he had one last thing to say.

"Makoto. I'd advise you not to get too attached to someone. Heh. Everyone has a dark side after all. You may not like what you find."

Junko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, can you not be so mysterious? You're lucky we're more trusting towards you or else you'd be alone."

Chihiro weakly saluted. "S-Sasaki-sama is innocent… until there's evidence… but I still think he's clean!"

"Hope you don't take offense, Mr. Sasaki. We're cautious against anyone remotely suspicious," Hifumi apologized.

"Don't sweat it. Be as suspicious of me as you want. I'd do the same thing as your shoes." Hisato, Hifumi, and Chihiro walked as a unit, discussing the murder. Junko kept her distance, worrying about her own problems.

As for Makoto, he wasn't sure what Hisato meant. Nevertheless, he faced Sayaka and smiled softly.

"Ah… that's Sato-kun for you. Always mysterious when it comes to serious business." Makoto then frowned. "We should go to the scene of the crime. We need to find enough evidence to pinpoint Fukawa-san's murderer."

Sayaka gulped nervously. "Uh… y-yes! I'll go investigate the area. I'll meet up with you later. Haha…" Her forced laughter may have sounded a bit insensible. In Sayaka's defense, she literally had to control herself before she went on a full-blown frenzy.

So with that, the students of Hope's Peak Academy began their first investigation. Someone amongst them killed Toko Fukawa in cold blood. The trial commences later, where the true culprit will either get caught or manage to pull it off.

The sweet smell of despair never felt greater.


	4. Ch 1: Two Heads Are Better Than One III

**The investigation chapter is short but I made the trial chapter longer. I held off from posting this chapter just so I can make sure the trial and investigation don't contradict each other. I've also cut a scene from the last chapter to make the trial more mysterious.**

* * *

"Sasaki-kun, surely you'll allow us to explore your room. Every inch of it."

"The hell I won't! What've my personal belongings got to do with the investigation?"

"Everything. Your reluctance will only make you look worse."

Hisato wished he hadn't decided to spark up a conversation with Kyoko. At first, he did it to learn something, anything about her. He didn't learn jack shit.

"Ugh. You're one pain in the ass Kirigiri." He groaned. "Almost as big as your father."

Kyoko stopped walking. Hisato noticed this and turned to look at her, wearing a confused expression.

"Something wrong?"

Kyoko blinked, recollecting herself from her initial shock.

"You knew my father? How?" Her tone sounded a bit demanding, though Hisato didn't mind.

"Eh? Why wouldn't I know him? Don't act so clueless Kirigiri, that's definitely not like you," Hisato chuckled, believing that she was merely messing with him.

Unbeknownst to him, that wasn't the case. She looked like she wanted to touch more into the matter. However, someone put a stop to this.

"Hey~" Junko tugged his arm, pulling him away from Kyoko intentionally. "You can tell me anything Sato-chan. Even if you did kill Fukawa, I'd still not vote you."

Instead of getting some kind of reaction from Hisato like she hoped for, he kept walking silently.

Junko frowned.

"Hey! I'm talking to-"

"Go talk to Hifumi or Chihiro. I don't need anyone distracting me right now," Hisato said coldly.

Junko bit back a harsh reply. If Hisato wished for no distractions, he had to be planning something in his head. The thought of that made Junko smirk.

This trial will surely be a fun one.

Mondo preferred to stay outside, telling everyone that she'd be the lookout while everybody else investigated. Because of that, Hisato managed to slip away undetected, so Mondo and Junko left to go find him.

Makoto, Kyoko, and Sakura explored Hisato's room.

Makoto first decided to look at the victim in person.

"Fukawa-san…" Makoto sighed sadly, mourning the loss of his classmate. Even if she was weird, she didn't deserve to die. No one did.

The description from the Monokuma file matched up perfectly.

"There's nothing here out in the open. Something I should expect from the Ultimate Schemer." Makoto heard Kyoko mutter to herself.

It was true. Aside from Toko's body, nothing stood out that showed signs of a murder occurring. That meant they had to dig in deeper.

Kyoko started to search his desk. Upon opening it, a stack of files came to view.

'_Hmm. That's strange. The tabs have our names on it.'_ Curious, Kyoko pulled out the file with her name and opened it.

There were only a few sentences written. She read over it, surmising it as Hisato writing down his frustrations of there not being anything he knew about her. The last sentence caused her face to pale.

**Kirigiri's father, Jin Kirigiri is a fucking pain in the ass.**

_'H-how does he…' _In an act of frustration, Kyoko shoved the file back with force. That settled it. She needed to prove Hisato's innocence. He was the only one with a lead of her father's whereabouts.

In other words, Kyoko needed Hisato Sasaki alive. Or else, she may never get such an opportunity again.

Makoto inspected the floor closer. There were traces of fresh blood that came from above. Though, there was something off.

"It's hard to tell, but I can see some dried up blood next to the fresh blood..." Makoto said to himself, crouching down to get a better look. His eyes did not deceive him.

If Toko died an hour over midnight, the blood would still be fresh. The dried up blood appeared as if it tried to be cleaned, then gave up on.

**Truth Bullet Added: Dry Blood Hidden beside the Fresh Blood**

"Maybe that's why the body is right above this spot," Makoto noted, keeping this as a key piece of evidence for the trial.

Kyoko searched throughout the next file that looked like it was recently used. More specifically, Sayaka Maizono's file.

_'It's like mine, but there's tons of more information on her.' _She skimmed through the first page easily and moved on to the next few. The last two pages were… interesting.

There were two-page worths of ideas concerning his safety against one Sayaka Maizono. It slightly amused Kyoko that someone like Hisato was this worried about the Ultimate Pop Sensation

_'Then again… he wouldn't write all this down for nothing. Did something happen between the two that led Sasaki-kun to have to write all this?' _Her absence during Hisato and Sayaka's little quarrel prevented her from forming a conclusion.

Kyoko decided to keep Sayaka's file with her for later questioning.

**Truth Bullet Added: Hisato's File**

Makoto looked at his e-handbook and Toko's body back and forth. The Monokuma file stated that Toko's appearance is different than her usual self. It made note of her tongue.

Unfortunately, he couldn't take a look at her tongue without taking the body down. Out of respect, he refused to do so.

Her eyes were red for some strange reason. He always remembered them to be grey. Not only that but the upper portion of her face steamed red also.

_'There's definitely something up with her appearance.' _Makoto noticed something. The lower portion of her skirt seemed to be ripped. Something was written on her thigh. If only he could get a better look.

"Naegi-kun!" Kyoko slapped the back of his head after catching him trying to sneak a peek up Toko's skirt.

"Tch. Unbelievable." Sakura shook her head in disgust.

"Ah! It's not what it looks like!" Makoto cried out, rapidly shaking his head left and right. "I see something written on her thigh. If it makes you two feel better, you can look instead." He averted his eyes to the floor, embarrassed.

Sakura huffed and took a look at it herself. "Hmph. He's right. I can't really see the whole thing with her like this."

"Sh-should we take the body down?" Makoto gulped.

Sakura shook her head. "We should leave the crime scene as it is. If you're really curious I'd suggest grabbing a pole to see what's written. Be warned I will teach you a lesson myself if I see you doing something inappropriate," She warned him seriously.

"Gah?! A pole?! Forget it!" Makoto gave up on his findings, too weirded out to do it anymore. Sakura shrugged.

_'I wonder how the culprit even got her up there…' _Makoto thought. It defied the laws of gravity to even be on the ceiling. How the killer managed to tie her up there was beyond him.

"Has anyone seen a ladder around this school?" Makoto asked aloud.

"I haven't checked the Storage Room. I doubt there's one anyway. It's locked," Sakura answered.

"Well, I think that's about how much information we can gather in Sato-kun's room." Makoto sudden remembered something important. "Oh right! My room got trashed too!"

He thought something bad happened to Sayaka based on the conditions of the room. Thankfully, she's safe and sound.

This caught Sakura's interests.

"Your room? You don't know how your own room got trashed?" Sakura grew suspicious over Makoto's claim. Perhaps his room required some proper investigation too.

"Technically I didn't sleep in my own room. Maizono-san and I traded rooms," Makoto explained, not seeing a problem with it.

"Huh? You and Maizono-san swapped rooms?" Kyoko asked for clarification. "And now your room is magically trashed?"

Makoto cringed. "U-um… I didn't have a good look at my room. I found Maizono-san hiding in my bathroom. Then I heard yelling coming from outside so I left her there and joined everyone outside of Sato-kun's room."

"That definitely sounds weird, especially now that Fukawa is dead. Maybe we've been searching the wrong room." Sakura's stare sharpened on Makoto, suspicious.

Makoto stepped back some.

"Y-you think I killed Fukawa-san?"

Sakura didn't respond. She walked out of Hisato's room and headed for Makoto's room next.

"Wait!" Makoto stopped himself at the doorway. He looked back at Kyoko. "Are you coming?"

Receiving the silent treatment yet again, Makoto sighed. He figured she'd be alright on her own. So he left to go after Sakura.

"Sasaki-kun… what are you hiding here?" Kyoko stayed behind to search the room more. She rummaged through his trash can, finding nothing but crumpled pieces of papers that pertain no useful information.

Then she explored every inch of his bathroom with the same results as before. Nothing, absolutely nothing that pointed the death of Toko Fukawa to Hisato.

_'I shouldn't expect any less from someone with the title: The Ultimate Schemer. But maybe… just maybe he didn't commit the deed.'_

Kyoko eyes landed on Hisato's beanie, which just so happened to be resting on his bed.

She picked it up. As she did this, a slip of paper fell from the headwear.

Kyoko read through its contents, confirming that someone else is indeed involved in the death of Toko Fukawa. They had to be. The pieces add up.

**Truth Bullet Added: Note in Hisato's Room**

The mysterious lavender haired girl concluded her investigation in Hisato's room over and left the room, unaware that someone else slipped inside to do their own investigation.

* * *

Meanwhile, Makoto and Sakura entered Makoto's room. Like Makoto said, the room was trashed. Scratch marks were all over the walls and floors. His things were all over the place. Makoto recalled that his room wasn't in this state when he traded rooms with Sayaka.

"Maizono has some explaining to do. This could potentially be connected to the murder. There's definitely signs of a scuffle here." Sakura observed.

**Truth Bullet Added: ****Evidence of a Struggle **

"Dammit. I was in the next room. If I had only noticed…" Makoto blamed himself for not hearing anything that took place in his own room.

Sakura stared at him strangely. "That is unreasonable."

"Huh?"

"Were you not informed? These rooms are completely soundproof." She folded her arms, eyes now on the walls. "Which is to say, even in the adjacent room, you would be unable to hear anything. Perhaps this is part of Monokuma's plan. To create an environment perfect for murder…"

Makoto had no words. He thought about what Sakura said. Since all the rooms were apparently soundproof, that meant someone's screams for help would go unheard, and no one could do a thing about it.

"I've been meaning to ask, what's the sword for?" Sakura questioned, pointing at the sword on the floor.

"That thing? Oh, I found it at the Trophy Room. I brought it with me for self-defense, in case something were to happen," Makoto replied, getting over the bombshell laid out to him.

"Someone absolutely had the same idea. Look closely at both pieces."

Taking Sakura's advice, he inspected the sword and scabbard closer.

The gilding on both the blade and the hilt had come off in several locations. A lot of the hilt's gliding had come off. It just takes light touch for the gold lead on the practice sword to come off.

**Truth Bullet Added: Replica Sword **

Now taking a look at the scabbard, there are marks present on it, like it's been slashed with a blade or something along those lines. Even if the practice sword was used during the apparent struggle, damage to the scabbard is unusual.

**Truth Bullet Added: Replica Sword Sheath **

The point of the practice sword was to unsheath it and use the blade to attack. The scabbard had to be heavy, plus using it during attacking is just plain dumb… unless it was urgent.

Something caught Makoto's eyes. Towards the right of the blade was the keys that Makoto gave to Sayaka when they exchanged rooms. She had to have had the key in the room the entire time.

So how did anyone get inside to initiate the scuffle in the first place?

_'Did Maizono-san forget to lock the door?'_ Makoto immediately dispelled this theory. There's no way she'd forget to lock the door, nor would she have let anyone in. As scared as she was when she came to him, it just couldn't have happened.

"Seems like we have another suspect to confront when the trial begins. I'm more of a follower, I'll go with whatever everyone decides on. I hope your personal feelings won't affect the trial Nagei." Sakura knew that Makoto and Sayaka were close. No one should let their personal feelings interfere with their findings, otherwise, it'd spell death for everyone but the true culprit.

"We're done here. I'll go guard Sasaki's room. I'll see you later." Sakura left the room, leaving Makoto to his own thoughts.

* * *

"Bah. For the last time Hifumi, I have no interest in committing to the world of 2-D."

"B-but Mr. Sasaki! I believe you're suited for the wonderful composition!"

"I write schemes; I don't draw hentai."

The group consisting of Hisato, Hifumi, Chihiro, Junko, and Hina were in the cafeteria. The five of them were casually eating and talking like any good friends would do.

"This is great! Did you make all this Sasaki?" Hina asked, gobbling up her plate of food.

Hisato shook his head. "Nah. I asked Monokuma to whip up a big meal."

When he said that, three out of the four spat out the food in their mouths. Hisato's looked at each of them in disgust.

"The hell are you all doing? Don't you know your manners?!"

Hifumi wiped his tongue with a napkin. "You said Monokuma made it! What if he poisoned it! Or worse!"

Chihiro and Hina nodded along with his words. Junko kept eating, none too bothered with the revelation.

"It's not poisoned. Relax." Hisato took a bite out of his food and swallowed it contentedly. "See? Nothing bad happened to me. It's safe to eat so relax."

Following his word, the three went back to eating their meal.

"What's up with you and Monokuma?" Junko asked, already knowing the answer. She wanted to hear Hisato's take in it though.

"Ehh… I don't really know," He admitted. "Monokuma likes me, keeps calling me his favorite student. If I ask for something he'll probably make it happen." Deciding to put it to the test, Hisato called out his name.

"Monokuma!"

Monokuma appeared from out of nowhere, eliciting some gasps from the five students.

"Yes, Sato-chan?" Hisato ignored the name.

"Do you think you can get me… I dunno, say an apple pie?" He requested kindly.

"Oh yes! Anything for you Sato-chan!" Monokuma vanished for a split second and returned with a pie on his paws.

"Aw! Thanks, Monokuma!" Hisato grabbed the pie from Monokuma, placed it on the table, and picked up the bear himself.

"Sasaki-sama! Don't-" Chihiro tried to warn Hisato, remembering the events that unfolded prior.

Then the craziest thing happened.

Hisato hugged Monokuma from behind. Monokuma's body hid Hisato's face, so the others weren't able to see his expression.

_'Huh…?'_ Junko blinked. The way Hisato held Monokuma reminded her of the same way her sister did so too. It was disturbing, to say the least, watching Hisato start to act like her sister.

Maybe his true self was slowly coming back?

"Off you go now." Hisato put Monokuma back on the floor. Monokuma giggled obnoxiously and zipped off. "Geez. Hugging a sadistic bear is nerve-racking. But at least I can get one step closer to gaining his trust."

"What do you mean?" Chihiro asked curiously.

"I mean that if I can get him to give me whatever I want and gain his trust, then maybe I can pull some strings to gain items to get us the hell out of here," Hisato explained, frowning. "That is if this trial doesn't get us killed."

Chihiro gripped her fork tighter, shutting her eyes full of sadness. Hifumi nervously bit his fingers. Hina tilted her head, confused.

"Ah. So you didn't kill Fukawa-chan?"

"Of course I didn't. What does killing someone do for me? Sure I get to go free but at what cost?" Hisato sighed. He glanced at his cup of orange juice. "This is why I brought us all here to eat together. It may be our last so we might as well make it count. You, Hina, just so happened to be here. I'm nice enough to share our food with you."

Hina smiled brightly. "Thanks!" Her eyes sharpened with determination. "And we must not give up hope! You're going to bring us down by saying such things! We'll bring the culprit to justice. No sweat! Chin up, guys!"

Hina's motivational speech spread smiles throughout the table. Junko rolled her eyes, ignoring Hina's words.

"Do you think I did it Hina?" Hisato inquired.

"Can you repeat your alibi again?" She asked.

"Sure. Long story short I woke up in the bathroom and Monokuma yelled at me to go to the gym." Hisato repeated, unknowingly raising the suspicion to himself by someone close by.

_'Sato-chan...' _Junko repressed a chuckle. _'Who exactly do you plan on foooling?'_

**Truth Bullet Added: Hisato's Alibi **

Hina crossed her arms and look off to the side. Her face scrunched up in deep thought. "Well… I wouldn't rule you out since the body was found in your room. But I think it's sweet you're doing this for your friends in case things go south."

A cheery smile replaced her thoughtful expression. "A killer wouldn't go out of their way to do this. So no, I don't think you're guilty!"

Hisato nodded happily. He was glad that he managed to win over Hina. Her gullible personality was a good thing after all.

He excused himself from the table to go grab a knife to cut the pie.

"Sasaki-sama is so kind! I'm happy I'm his friend!" Chihiro squeaked, cheeks reddening.

Personally, she never found Hisato suspicious even during the beginning. Yesterday evening, he kept insisting that they'd barricaded their doors as he feared something would happen. He wouldn't have said that if he planned to murder, he cared about their safety. It paid off because Toko was the unfortunate victim last night.

Of course, there's the chance that he said that so that they wouldn't come out at all but Chihiro was too blinded by Hisato's kindness to consider it.

Hifumi, on the other hand, was suspicious. That suspicion wasn't strong enough for him to accuse Hisato of murder. Him saving Junko significantly decreased Hifumi's suspicions. There was no reason for him to have done that. If Hisato really did kill Toko, everyone would've died while he got away if he won the trial. He also put himself on the line to protect Junko. That action made Hifumi admire him more.

The one thing Hifumi found odd was his alibi. Waking up in the bathroom sounded really strange. It did make some sense because Hisato wanted to sleep when they brought him his dinner yesterday. Monokuma must have moved his body to the bathroom, or worse, the killer could've killed him that night too. But Hisato's door had to be locked.

This murder really stumped Hifumi. He hoped the trial will at least shed enough light for him to draw out a solid theory.

Junko watched Hisato closely during their talk. She didn't know how no one else caught on to Hisato favoring his left shoulder. It's so obvious that he had gotten some sort of injury judging from the pained expressions on his face whenever he had to do anything involving his left arm. That included the hug with Monokuma.

Hisato went from angrily yelling at Monokuma to smothering him in his arms. Junko had to admit it was smart of him to try to gain Monokuma's trust. He already spoiled Hisato enough, even sparing his life when he broke the rules.

Before, Junko wished for Hisato's eventual death. But now… she felt indifferent towards the subject after he saved her from death. Granted, they planned for her fake death, but Hisato still protected her nonetheless.

"Hey…" Hisato came back. "There seems to be a knife missing. Did any of you notice it missing?"

Hina nodded. "Last night, I came here to have some tea. When I went to the kitchen, they were all there. But when I finished drinking my tea in the cafeteria, I went to the kitchen to clean up. It wasn't there anymore."

"Wasn't Miss Fukawa stabbed with a kitchen knife?" Hifumi pondered aloud. He checked the Monokuma file to confirm it.

"Hmm. So the murder weapon got taken when Hina was present;" Hisato hummed, feeling a smirk spread through his features. "So Hina knows who came in and out the cafeteria. Very interesting."

**Truth Bullet Added: Hina's Account **

**Truth Bullet Added: Kitchen Knife Set **

Hina got cut off from even speaking when Hisato raised his hand to stop her.

"Save it for the trial. We'll need all the information we can get before we jump into conclusions."

"Then shouldn't we be gathering information too, Sasaki-sama?" Chihiro asked. She already felt guilty enough as it is for not contributing to the investigation yet.

Hisato cocked his head back, turning to the direction of the exit doors.

"Mondo over there is watching me like a hawk. No way he'll let me investigate so I'm stuck here until the trial begins. Feel free to go off when we're done here."

He grabbed a knife from his inventory and stabbed it at the center of the apple pie.

"Who's up for pie?" A question mark appeared beside his head as he noticed all eyes on the pie.

Their eyes weren't filled with hunger, rather they were eyes full of shock.

"What? Does no one like pie?"

"You're using the wrong knife idiot." Junko facepalmed.

"Huh?" True to her words, when Hisato pulled the knife out of the pie, it revealed a familiar looking combat knife.

"Oh... ehehe... " Hisato chuckled nervously. He wiped the combat knife free from crumbs and replaced it with the kitchen knife he grabbed.

"You won't tell anyone, right?" He asked Hina.

She gulped, "I-I thought you gave it to Celeste."

"I did! It's just that I so happen to have another one." He wasn't going to sell out Junko. Whatever reason she had to possess weapons wasn't his business. As long as it isn't hurting anyone, he was willing to look the other way.

As for Junko, she looked on curiously. It was quite amusing to see Hisato attempt to convince Hina to keep quiet.

_'Ah, what the hell. I'll play along.'_ At first, Junko planned to not contribute in the trial. Her mind changed once she came to the conclusion that it'd be best to make the trial a little more entertaining.

**Truth Bullet Added: Combat Knife**

"Who cares if he has the knife? Let it go already." Junko stood up and confronted the Ultimate Swimming Pro. Her icy glare sent chills down Hina's spine.

"Let's just enjoy this stupid pie." She then proceeded to yank the pie from Hisato's hands.

A pained gasp followed. Hisato clutched his left shoulder.

"Hey! Warn me next time!" He hissed, turning away from everyone.

Chihiro frantically rushed to his side. "Sasaki-sama, are you alright?!" Hifumi came running along too to check on the Ultimate Schemer.

As all of this happened, Junko couldn't stop a smirk from forming on her face.

"Bingo."

**Truth Bullet Added: Potential Injury **

* * *

Back with Kyoko, she eventually did leave Hisato's room and went to the next point of interest.

The victim's room.

Right off the bat, she spotted something wrong. Everyone's doors had doorbells beside it. Knocking would be futile because of the soundproof rooms.

Toko's doorbell was covered in blood.

_'Strange. What purpose would a wounded individual have to come here?' _Kyoko pondered. She eliminated the possibility of the blood coming from Toko right off the bat.

While Toko was strange, she'd have zero reason to ring her own doorbell.

**Truth Bullet Added: Blood on Toko's Doorbell**

Kyoko gently opened the door. Toko's room resembled that of Hisato's room. Bundles of papers were spread throughout the room. There were also stacks of books everywhere Kyoko looked.

The only thing that stood out was the pair of scissors on the bed. Upon further investigation, she discovered that the scissors were recently used. When she grabbed one of them, it felt loose.

Scissors normally weren't so loose. Someone must have used them and hit something hard to loosen them up. Question is, why did Toko have these in the first place?

**Truth Bullet Added: Pouch of Sharp Scissors **

While continuing her investigation, she didn't notice Makoto passing by.

After the search in his room, Makoto decided to look elsewhere. He brushed past Leon. He was standing in the hallway, not paying him to mind either.

The obvious place to go next was the Trash Room. It only made sense for the culprit to go there seeing as they can destroy any piece of evidence that points towards them.

Makoto entered the room and was faced with shutters blocking off the main portion of the incinerator.

Down below laid a door in the floor. The Ultimate Lucky Student attempted to get it open, but the lock prevented him from doing so.

The shutters in front of him meant that he couldn't get past it.

"Arriving at the final station." Monokuma sprang up from out of nowhere. Makoto shrieked. "These are the dumping grounds, also known as the Trash Room."

Recovering from his shock, Makoto spoke. "These shutters… how do I-"

"No! No! No! No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!" Monokuma hollered.

"Cleaning duty…?"

"No! No! No! No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!"

"Who's on cleaning duty?"

"No! No! No! No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!"

Makoto gave up and prompted to leave. When he was about to open the door, someone else opened it for him.

"Don't do anything weird Yamada-kun."

"Relax Miss Fujisaki. I'm here to fulfill my urgent responsibilities! While I would've preferred to come here on my own… having company is good too!" The disappointment in Hifumi's voice was evident, even to Chihiro.

They both traveled to the Trash Room together to provide some help towards the upcoming trial. Junko and Hina stayed behind with Hisato to keep him company.

"Yamada-kun? Fujisaki-san?" Makoto called out to them, breaking them out of their conversation.

"Ah! Mr. Naegi! What a pleasant surprise!" Hifumi greeted him.

"H-hello, Naegi-kun!" Chihiro smiled.

"What are you two doing here?"

Hifumi punched the air, grinning. "We're here to contribute to the trial! We can't let Mr. Sasaki down!" Hifumi settled down and stared at him suspiciously. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Huh? Oh! I had the same idea as you two but Monokuma told me I don't have access to the incinerator. Apparently, only the person on cleaning duty is allowed." He informed them, downtrodden.

Hifumi smirked cockily. He placed his hands on his hips. A puff of smoke came out of his nostrils.

"You're just in luck! You're looking at the person in charge of cleaning duty himself! I also don't mind being called the Alpha and the Omega. Your choice."

Makoto and Chihiro sweatdropped.

Hifumi adjusted his glasses, growing serious. "You'd like me to open the gate, wouldn't you? Bwehehe. You know, when I look at it, makes me think…"

_'Oh brother…' _Chihiro found interest in the door on the floor. Anything was interesting if it meant not having to hear Hifumi when he's like this.

"They said he killed his wife. He learned how to get by on the inside, but he never stopped dreaming. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin', he said. So him and Rita, they found themselves a way out."

"Whatever! Please, just hurry up!" Makoto impatiently cried out.

"Okie dokie! Leave it to me!" Hifumi pulled a key out of his pocket and used it to flip the switch next to the gate.

The gate opened up, granting them access to the incinerator. Hifumi stopped Makoto midway through his steps.

"However, Mr. Naegi…" Hifumi pointed a finger at Makoto accusingly. "Surely you aren't planning to use the Trash Room to destroy evidence, are you!?"

Hifumi pieced in the pieces of his version of Makoto's reasoning for coming here. "Y-you fiend…! You planned this all along! You framed Mr. Sasaki, didn't you?!"

Makoto flinched at the harsh accusation.

"N-no! I just wanted to see if the actual killer had tried to destroy the evidence or not! I would never do something so cruel to Sato-kun!" He defended.

Chihiro stepped in. "Y-Yamada-kun! Sasaki-sama trusts him! I don't think he'd frame his friend!"

Hifumi ignored her. "But the actual killer is you! Isn't it? You want to see if you left anything behind!" Hifumi gasped. "Wait! Maybe a parallel world!"

Hifumi's mind spiraled out of control. His brain couldn't handle the countless possibilities.

"It's best to leave him be when he's like this," Chihiro said, slightly ashamed with her friend.

Makoto chuckled awkwardly. He detached himself from the two and got to investigating.

The first thing that caught his eyes was the piece of fabric on the ground. It was covered in crimson blood.

"It looks like a burnt piece of… something," Makoto noted.

"A burnt piece…? Like a hunk? Like a hunk of burning love?" Hifumi jumped in, still in his daze.

Makoto further observed the burnt piece. He concluded that it was, in fact, a burnt piece of cloth, and its shape is part of a sleeve from a button-up shirt.

"Hm. Most of us have a white buttoned-up shirt though." Chihiro left Hifumi's side to investigate with Makoto. "It won't exactly pinpoint the killer."

"Right…" Makoto decided to hang on to it just in case.

**Truth Bullet Added: Piece of a Burnt Shirt**

The other thing on the floor was shards of glass in front of the incinerator.

"Hagakure-kun uses glass balls, doesn't he?" Chihiro hummed, tentatively leaning forward to fish out the source of the broken glass.

"He should be in the gym with the others. I'll ask him about then." Makoto figured Hiro would know something about this. After all, he used crystal balls to predict the future seeing how it is a part of his talent.

**Truth Bullet Added: Shattered Crystal Ball **

"Ah!" Hifumi shouted all of a sudden, causing Chihiro and Makoto to jump. "The incinerator is on! I was quite certain it was off last time I was down here! Oh no, I've failed my mission already!"

Hifumi shook it off. "No! Perhaps it was the work of fairies!"

Makoto deadpanned.

"Do you realize what you just said?!"

"Huh? The fairy?" Hifumi repeated.

"No. You said the last time you were here, the incinerator was off."

Hifumi smirked. "Ah yes. About that there can be no mistake. If I've got one thing going for me, it's my memory. As soon as I was appointed, I came down to check the place out. It definitely wasn't on then. I haven't been back here since then. And since I'm the only one who has a key to open the gate, it should be impossible for the incinerator to be on. And yet…"

Chihiro's listened to his words carefully. She had a sneaky feeling as to what went down.

**Truth Bullet Added: Incinerator **

"Maybe someone stole them?" She proposed.

"Nonsense! The only people I've told now is you, Miss Enoshima, Mr. Naegi, and…" Hifumi's eyes widened. "...Mr. Sasaki."

"We've already decided that he isn't the killer," Makoto said in a stern tone.

"_You_ decided Mr. Naegi. My suspicions aren't high, but it does put Mr. Sasaki in a bad place," Hifumi said. "This is strange indeed. When I was here last, the incinerator was off, and those glass shards and burnt clothes weren't."

Hifumi pointed at Makoto yet again.

"Don't think I'm not on to you too! There's something your hiding! I will not let you get away with it!"

Makoto rolled his eyes, fed up with Hifumi's accusations. He turned around and silently left the room.

Chihiro fidgeted her fingers. "D-do you really think Sasaki-sama is the killer?" She asked quietly.

"Miss Fujisaki, you know what they say. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer! We will discuss this during the class trial! Come now! We must do some last-minute searching!"

Hifumi raced out the door. Chihiro sighed, reluctantly following his lead.

* * *

During Makoto's trip to the gym, he encountered someone leaving Hisato's room.

It was Byakuya.

"Togami-kun? Were you doing your own investigation too?" Makoto questioned.

Byakuya folded his arms. "Obviously. I don't want any of you hooligans to distract me. So if you can move out of the way, I'll be leaving."

Makoto stepped to the side, allowing Byakuya to leave. Curiously, Makoto peeked inside the room to see if he tampered with anything.

That he did.

Toko's body no longer remained on the ceiling. Her body was now on the ground. Beside her was a medium-sized step ladder that Byakuya presumably used to get her down.

_'So we do have a ladder here. That's good to know.' _Makoto was going to ask Byakuya where he got it when the trial started.

**Truth Bullet Added: Ladder**

For now, he had to go find Hiro.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the cafeteria, Hisato and Mondo engaged in a heated argument.

"Look, man. If you want to use the bathroom then go. I'm not going anywhere."

"No way I'm letting a shrimp-like you unsupervised!" Mondo growled. All the drinks he drank finally caught up to him.

He really had to use the bathroom now.

"Hina and Junko are here. They can watch over me," Hisato countered.

"I'm not leaving you here with girls. You might hurt them!" One thing Mondo learned from someone close to him was that hurting women is unjustified. Hisato would no doubt try something on Junko or Hina, he was sure of it!

"I'll watch over him." A gruff voice made themselves known.

Sakura entered the cafeteria after finishing up her investigation. She overheard their quarrel and decided to put an end to it.

Mondo appeared unsure but then shrugged. "Fine. Make sure he doesn't leave." Sakura nodded.

Mondo left the cafeteria in pursuit of the bathroom.

"Finally." Hisato leaned back against his chair. "Hina, pass me a donut."

Hina possessively hoarded the donuts to herself. Hisato grumbled something unpleasant under his breath and grabbed an apple instead.

Sakura took a seat next to Hina.

"So you three have been here all day?" Sakura queried, a little disappointed that they didn't help out any.

"Well yeah. Mondo wouldn't let me out because he thought I'd tamper the evidence. Hina and Junko stayed with me as company." Hisato paused. "Say… do you mind sharing some of the things you've found? We can exchange information," He proposed sneakily.

Sakura's interests arose. "And what type of information could you possibly have? You've been here all day as you said."

Hisato wiggled his finger, grinning.

"Ah. But that doesn't mean I didn't know anything prior to Toko's death. So what's it gonna be?"

Sakura thought about the offer. Her eyes suddenly burst wide open. Hisato mentioning that he knew something before Toko's death meant that it was when he was supposedly woke up in one of the bathroom stalls.

Yet, rule number three specifically stated that sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory is against the rules and the person breaking that rule will be punished.

So why hasn't Hisato been punished? Monokuma had the perfect time to punish him when the meetup in the gym occurred. There's only one logical answer to all of this.

Hisato's alibi is full of shit.

**Truth Bullet Added: School Rule ****#3**

Sakura chuckled dryly. She decided to roll along with it.

"Sure. Why not? But you go first." Sakura didn't trust him anymore and she'd be damned if she went first and Hisato had tricked her into spilling info.

"Alright." Hisato leaned in closer so that everyone could hear what he had to say. "On my way to the gym, I noticed something rather peculiar. Makoto and Sayaka's nameplates were swapped."

"What?" Junko straightened up. "Their nameplates were swapped?"

Sakura had a feeling that Hisato was telling the truth. It would explain the mess in Makoto's room. That only made Sayaka look worse, possibly more suspicious than Hisato.

"Funny that you mention that. I went to Naegi's room and the nameplates weren't swapped." Sakura guessed that someone must have switched it back when everyone wasn't looking.

**Truth Bullet Added: Bedroom Nameplates **

She continued, "His room, it seems like a fight took place. The room is a mess. Naegi told me that he and Maizono swapped rooms."

Hisato's face morphed into a state of shock. "Wait. They did wh-"

**Doing! Dong! Bing! Bong!**

The speakers came to life, stopping everyone from what they were doing.

"Erm, so ah… I'm getting tired of waiting. What say we just get started, hm?" Monokuma's bored voice came speaking from the speakers. "It's time for the long-awaited… class trial! Allow me to appoint a proper location for the proceedings. Please go through the red door on the first floor of the school! Puhuhu! See you soon!"

The announcements then ended. The four students in the cafeteria traded stony glances. The class trial is set to start now. Either they all face punishment or the culprit receives punishment.

They all needed to pitch in and find the true culprit, or else it'll spell the end for them.

_'Class trial time. Ooh. It gives me chills thinking about it.' _Hisato shivered, excited for the trial._ 'It's a perfect opportunity to scout people's skills and see who can lead the discussion. My money is on Kirigiri. Maybe some people will surprise me.'_

"I can't believe we're actually going to do this," Junko scowled.

Hisato didn't blame her for being frustrated. She almost got herself killed for protesting against the trial.

"Yeah, well how else will we avenge Toko? Someone actually listened to Monokuma. They are a threat to us and we need that individual to go so we can all go back to living peaceful lives."

"What's peaceful about all of this?! What if we never find a way out? We're prisoners here!" Junko argued, more fiercely.

Hisato waved it off, not minding her harsh tone.

"Learn to adapt. Those who don't will find it rather hard to live under these circumstances. Or maybe they'd kill. Just adapt, period," Hisato said with no hesitation in his voice. It almost sounded like he had no issues staying here.

"That's similar to what Celeste said." Hina frowned.

"They both have similar mindsets," Sakura added in.

Hisato gulped. "Ah. Celeste? She's a bit more… unique is what I think." He stood up, straightening his clothing. "Let's be off then. We shouldn't keep the killer bear waiting."

"Right." The three girls arranged themselves and walked out of the cafeteria with Hisato in the lead.

When they got to the destined location, only a few people were there. Taka, Chihiro, Hifumi, and Leon were all present.

No one said a word. They took their spot waiting in front of the red door for everyone else to arrive.

Makoto was late, as per usual. Taka reprimanded him about it. Funny thing is that Sayaka was there with him, yet she wasn't yelled at.

Hisato coolly stood there, without a care in the world.

There was one thing clouded his mind. A word of encouragement to himself.

_'Time to let the games begin.'_


	5. Ch 1: Two Heads Are Better Than One IV

**Pieces of Evidence**

**Number One: Monokuma's File No. 1**

**Number Two: ****Dry Blood Hidden beside the Fresh Blood**

**Number Three: ****Hisato's File**

**Number Four: ****Note in Hisato's Room**

**Number Five: ****Evidence of a Struggle **

**Number Six: Replica Sword**

**Number Seven: Replica Sword Sheath**

**Number Eight: ****Hisato's Alibi **

**Number Nine: ****Hina's Account**

**Number Ten: ****Kitchen Knife Set**

**Number Eleven: ****Combat Knife**

**Number Twelve: ****Potential Injury **

**Number Thirteen: ****Blood on Toko's Doorbell **

**Number Fourteen: ****Pouch of Sharp Scissors**

**Number Fifteen: ****Piece of a Burnt Shirt**

**Number Sixteen: ****Shattered Crystal Ball**

**Number Seventeen: Incinerator **

**Number Eighteen: ****Ladder**

**Number Nineteen: ****School Rule ****#3**

**Number Twenty: ****Dorm ****Nameplates **

* * *

The fifteen students all entered the elevator. Different moods were felt throughout everyone's head. Some scared, nervous, determination, and even excited.

The doors closed and the steel box descended, with heavy clanking sounds toward the school's basement. The elevator further and further sent them down the bowels of the school.

Once down, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Everyone exited the elevator and observed their new surroundings.

The supposed courtroom was a decent size and the colors were vividly red and blue. The seats in the center were arranged in a giant circle. It was set up so everyone can see everyone else.

"Goody gumdrops! Took your time I see." Monokuma is revealed to be sitting down at the front on a throne. "Be honest now. You were expecting something considerably less tasteful."

"Screwed up either way if you ask me!" Mondo growled.

Kyoko then spoke up, garnering some surprised gasps.

"Before we start, I have a question relevant to our task. Why the portrait?" Kyoko pointed to the one portrait present at one of the seats. The portrait was of the deceased Toko Fukawa with a bloody **X** crossed over the portrait.

"Why not?" Monokuma giggled. "Just because she's dead I'd hate for her to have to miss the proceedings."

Celeste had a question as well.

"And the extra seat belongs to whom?" She counted seventeen seats. They were a former group of sixteen, counting Fukawa-san. So why was there an extra seat?

"You're reading too much into it darling. The extra podium means this courtroom is built down for a maximum of seventeen jurors. Speaking of which, that's all the time we have left for pleasturies. Everyone find your assigned seats and sit down!"

Everyone did as they were told without any complaints. Hisato found himself in between Mondo and Kyoko. Just his luck that he was in between two people he wished to not speak to.

When everyone got properly arranged, Taka took the lead.

"Okay then, everyone close your eyes. Whoever did it, raise your hand!" He demanded, closing his eyes shut as he said so.

An awkward silence passed.

"Don't be a goddamn idiot. Why the hell would they raise their hand?" Mondo grunted.

Most people awkwardly looked around, not knowing how to start the high stakes trial.

"So, uh... how does debating work?" Hina asked, breaking the ice between everyone.

"Obviously to bring up what discoveries you uncovered. I expect you to be quiet, all you did was stuff your face with donuts," Hisato said coldly. Hina's face morphed into one of confusion and hurt.

"Hey, I thought we were fr-"

"I suggest we consider what the murder weapon is and see where that takes us." Kyoko cut in, not having the patience for their little side argument.

* * *

**Nonstop Debate.**

**Make Your Arguement!**

**Truth Bullets:**

**5.****Evidence of a Struggle **

**18****. Ladder**

**10\. Kitchen Knife Set**

"So what was used to kill her?" Sakura asked.

"There was some kind of sharp object thrust into her," Taka muttered. "Without a doubt, that's the murder weapon!"

"Hmm. **So the killer used some sort of random knife to stab her,"** Mondo added in. "How could anyone do something like that? Son of a bitch!"

**Truth Bullet Number Ten: Kitchen Knife Set.**

"No, that's wrong!"

* * *

"No! It wasn't just some random knife." Junko spoke up. "There's one possibility that it's the knife Celeste has."

"It's still in my room dear." Celeste smiled.

Junko nodded. "But like, that wasn't the real murder weapon. It wasn't just any knife. It's a kitchen knife."

"And how can you be sure?" Mondo asked gruffly.

Junko thought about mentioning her specialty with knives but held off against it.

"You can see the knife stickin' out of her body." Junko glanced at Hisato next. "While we were at the cafeteria, Sato-chan discovered that there was one knife missing."

"Of course he discovered it! He was the one who killed Fukawa, wasn't he?!" Hiro exclaimed, earning a variety of confused and approving faces.

"That's right! He'd be the one to point it out! We don't even need this trial," Mondo agreed. He glared at Hisato, trying to gain a reaction from him.

The Ultimate Schemer didn't falter back the slightest.

Kyoko saw the blame getting shifted towards Hisato and decided to put an end to it before it got out of hand.

"Let's draw our conclusions _after_ we've presented our arguments. Otherwise, what's the point of the trial?"

"We can talk all we want. It's not going to change my mind." Mondo was dead set on believing that Hisato was the killer, regardless of what people think.

"I don't think that's true at all. I'm sure if we keep at it, something new will reveal itself."

"Thanks, Kirigiri." Hisato body shook. His stomach was filled with butterflies fluttering about. "I can prove that I'm not the killer."

That caught everyone's attention.

"Explain now," Byakuya demanded.

Hisato prepared for this. Problem is, he didn't tell anyone else what he planned to say.

"Since the weapon came from the kitchen, then whoever was at the cafeteria would've noticed. So..."

_'There's someone who can prove I wasn't there and clear my name.'_

* * *

**Select!**

**\- Hina**

**\- Junko**

**\- Hiro**

* * *

Hisato faced the Ultimate Swimming Pro. "Hina. You were there last night, weren't you? Did you see me there?"

Hina's head retracted back some. She didn't expect Hisato to go to her after the rude comments he directed at her. Being the nice person that she is, Hina gladly decided to back up the claim.

"N-no... I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" Byakuya repeated in a mocking tone.

"No! He definitely wasn't there!" Hina added more confidence in her response.

"I wasn't in the kitchen. I was asleep in my room, so I couldn't have done it. That means whoever Hina saw go to the kitchen last night is likely the killer." For the briefest of seconds, his eyes went towards Sayaka.

"Okay, so then who did take the knife?" Chihiro inquired quietly.

"Hina-san seems like the obvious candidate. After all, she just said she was in the kitchen," Celeste pointed out, leaning forward and gazing at Hina with her blood-red eyes.

"N-no way! I swear it wasn't me!" Hina stuttered, intimidated by Celeste's stare.

Hifumi hummed, "Sure, but can you or anyone else prove that?"

"I can," A deep voice said.

Hina's face lit up. "That's right! Sakura-chan was with me the entire time I was drinking my tea."

"I'm sorry, but Sakura is whom exactly? No offense." Celeste, along with a few others had no idea who Hina was referring to.

"None taken." The deep voice spoke up again, revealing herself as the tall, bulky Sakura.

Another awkward silence passed.

"You guys seriously don't know everyone's names? We were destined for failure from the start," Hisato groaned.

"But then, couldn't either one of them have grabbed the knife?" Hiro queried.

Hina appeared quite nervous after hearing him ask that. "Actually, no. Because, well... um..."

"Just spit it out already!" Mondo scowled.

"I stayed in Asahina's room last night," Sakura revealed. "After hearing that Enoshima bunked with Sasaki prior, I assumed we're allowed to sleep in any of the dorms."

"I got so scared thanks to those creepy videos. I wasn't really thinking. I just asked her to stay over. Which means we have airtight alibis!" Hina defended herself and Sakura.

Taka couldn't believe what he was hearing. He just had to discipline them for such actions.

"A boy and a girl spending the night together?! It's... it's unwholesome!" He shouted, upset.

Taka regretted saying that after hearing Sakura speak four, four unforgettable words.

"But, I'm a girl."

Taka's body stiffened. "Wh-?! You are?! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" He apologized frantically, hoping that he didn't offend her as much as he believed he did.

"You see her every morning." Hisato continued to express his annoyance over not knowing something so simple.

"You act as if you know everyone that well in the span of a few days," Junko remarked, displeased with his attitude.

Hisato stayed silent. Kyoko figured that he knew more than he let on because of the files she found in his room. He had information on everyone here, including her.

"If you don't mind beating around the bush, tell us who snatched the knife," Taka requested.

"Right. As Asahina said, we were there for some time. We know who took the knife because we witnessed its removal," She said, much to the annoyance of Byakuya.

"Why did you fail to mention this sooner?"

Hina gulped, "I-I guess it's because I still don't believe it's true. The person who took the knife was..." Hina scanned the circle of people, her eyes stopping on one silent individual.

* * *

**Select a Suspect!**

Aoi Asahina

Mondo Owada

Hisato Sasaki

Kyoko Kirigiri

Sakura Ogami

Junko Enoshima

Kiyotaka Ishimaru

**Sayaka Maizono**

Makoto Naegi

Hifumi Yamada

Toko Fukawa (Deceased)

Leon Kuwata

Celestia Ludenberg

Byakuya Togami

Chihiro Fujisaki

Yasuhiro Hagakure

* * *

"It was you, **Maizono-chan**."

Sayaka gasped. She was quiet throughout the whole trial so far, but now she was forced to talk after the accusation.

"N-no! Y-you must've seen wrong! I went to the kitchen and grabbed something to drink! Th-that's it!" Sayaka cried out, letting her nervousness slip out.

Makoto jumped in to defend her too. "There's no way Maizono-san took the knife! That doesn't make any sense. Why would she take the knife? Surely there was someone else who came in the kitchen."

He absolutely refused to believe that Sayaka was involved in Toko's murder. Sayaka lowered her head, ashamed at the amount of trust Makoto had in her. She shook it off. Acting all somber would raise more suspicion.

"There was," Sakura confirmed, brightening Makoto's mood. "But it doesn't add up. Fujisaki, Yamada, and Enoshima were all in the kitchen when Hina and I first arrived."

Chihiro nodded, "Y-yes! We were making Sasaki-sama dinner. But we never used the knife."

"The timing of the knife's disappearance didn't occur when those three were there. They left a few minutes after we came in." Sakura and just about everyone else turned their attention to the shaking Sayaka.

"So there you have it." Hisato used a similar tactic as Celeste, glowering at the Ultimate Pop Sensation. "Sayaka, mind explaining why you stole the knife that was used to kill Toko?"

Makoto clenched his fists.

"Stop it! Maizono-san might have grabbed it for self-"

"I'm asking Sayaka, not you Makoto. She can speak for herself, can she not?" Makoto kept his mouth shut. "Good. Sayaka, explain why the knife you supposedly stole is found pierced inside Toko's body. Saying I don't know isn't an answer."

Sayaka couldn't stay silent either. She needed to quickly defend herself.

"I-it was for self-defense! Honest! I didn't use it! I-I must have dropped it during my walk back to my dorm." Her weak defense did nothing to make her any less guilty.

"You heard her. It was for self-defense!" Makoto said, his voice becoming more desperate. "She said she dropped it so I believe her! M-maybe someone stole it! Did you run into someone Maizono-san?"

Maizono stopped panicking. She slowly lifted her head up, realizing something. "I-I did! I ran into Sasaki-kun!"

Now the tables have turned right back at Hisato.

"Bullshit! I was in my room the whole damn time!" Hisato countered. "I have those three right there to confirm that!" He pointed at Junko, Chihiro, and Hifumi.

"Yes. Mr. Sasaki was definitely in his room during the time of the disappearance of the knife. We talked for quite some time so Miss Maizono couldn't have possibly run into him."

Hifumi glared at Sayaka, disgusted with her blatant lie.

"Tell us the truth," Kyoko requested sternly.

"I am telling the truth!" Sayaka repeated.

_'Maizono is breaking. She's obviously lying, and one more push should do the trick.'_ Junko's eyes narrowed, determined to destroy the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

* * *

**Nonstop Debate!**

**Make Your Arguement!**

**6\. Replica Sword **

**14.**** Pouch of Sharp Scissors**

**11.****Combat Knife**

"**There's no evidence that indicates I stole the knife.**" Hisato said. "Hina debunked that theory."

"I sure did! I'm on the path of becoming a junior detective!" Hina cheered.

"I am not in possession of the missing knife." Sayaka argued.

"How can you be so sure Sasaki is the one who took the knife?" Sakura wondered.

"Sasaki-kun had a knife at the first day. **He could've taken the knife from the kitchen too!"**

**Truth Bullet Number Eleven: Combat Knife**

"No, that's wrong!" Junko interjected.

* * *

"Here's the thing. Even if you did run into him, there's no reason for Sato-chan to even take the knife from you." Hisato froze. He glanced at Junko, his eyes silently telling her to not say what he thought she was going to say.

"Oh? And why is that?" Leon asked.

"Because he already has something for self-defense. Isn't that right?"

"Nuh-uh! We confiscated his weapon days ago! She has it!" Sayaka protested, pointing at Celeste.

Celeste smiled and nodded her head, silently telling everyone she was still in possession of the confiscated knife.

"Ugh. Fine." With his right hand, Hisato grabbed the knife from underneath his clothing. "There. I have another combat knife. If it helps clear up my name, then do as you wish with it." He dropped the knife on the ground, surrendering it without any complaint.

"Dude! Where the hell do you find those things?!" Leon appeared more disturbed than the other students. His eyes shot wide open and his lips trembled.

"If I were to commit a murder, why the hell would I take the kitchen knife if I already had one of my own? Even then if I was using it as a cover-up, no one knew I had this combat knife so no suspicion would be drawn to me." Hisato dodged Leon's question completely. "Sayaka had the murder weapon. Simple as that so can we please move on to a different matter?"

"I suppose so. That doesn't excuse you for the knives." Kyoko switched topics. "I believe that explains some things. That leads me to the next issue at hand. Naegi-kun?"

"Huh?"

"What happened last night in your room?"

"Oh." Makoto let out a sigh of relief. "Last night, Maizono-san and I switched rooms. The rules didn't say we had to sleep in our exact dorms. She looked really scared. I just wanted her to be safe."

Makoto and Sayaka exchanged small smiles. Sayaka's smile dropped into a guilty frown.

"Why the hell are you smiling dude? Your room is a wreck now! Isn't that a little suspicious?" Mondo huffed.

"That's where I'm getting at." Kyoko gazed into Sayaka's eyes, causing her to silently gulp. "Maizono-san, what exactly happened in Naegi-kun's room last night?"

_'N-no!' _Sayaka began to panic. There was no way she could think of an excuse on the spot, especially when she already looked bad as it is.

"It's alright Maizono-san. You have nothing to worry about. I know you didn't kill Fukawa-san," Makoto assured her. That assurance slowly turned into confusion as Sayaka continued to not utter a single word.

"Now that I think about it... Sasaki, you told me a very important piece of information." Sakura set her sights on the boy. "Mind telling us all what you told me before the announcement?"

Hisato knew what she was talking about. Sharing it will be a perfect way to ensure the suspicion on Sayaka.

"When I walked past the hallway during the morning, I saw that Makoto and Sayaka's nameplates were switched." That earned a frightened gasp from the Ultimate Lucky Student. "Though, Sakura informed me that they weren't mixed up when she checked. Did you by chance happen to have looked at the door Makoto?"

Makoto thought about this morning and when he rushed inside his room to see if Sayaka was okay. "I-I'm sorry... I can't remember. I opened the door as fast as I could and found her in the bathroom," He said, sounding grateful that nothing critical happened to his friend.

Kyoko's eyes widened, hearing exactly what she needed to hear. "Repeat that again."

Her question briefly stunned the brown-haired ultimate. He thought there wasn't anything strange he said.

Nevertheless, he repeated himself.

"Like I said, I opened the-"

"Aha!" Hifumi suddenly exclaimed, catching on. "You said you opened Miss Maizono's door! Why wasn't it locked then?! You said she was scared, and that that was the sole reason behind swapping rooms!"

Hifumi only caught on because of yesterday evening when Hisato asked him to make sure his door was locked tight. Hearing that Makoto just waltzed right in set off major red flags.

"W-what?" Makoto was left in a state of shock once he took Hifumi's words to heart. "M-Maizono-san?"

Sayaka pressed her arms closer to her body. She lowered her head, refusing to look Makoto in the eye.

"And you said you found her in the bathroom?" Hisato received a hesitant head nod from Makoto. "What happened after you found her?"

Makoto's face hardened. "I heard all the commotion outside so I left Maizono-san in my room while I went to check out what was going on."

"That certainly gives her enough time to swap the nameplates back undetected, doesn't it?" Hisato said, staring at Sayaka suspiciously. It explained why the nameplates were back to normal when Sakura saw the doors.

"Since Maizono-kun insists on staying quiet, we won't get much out of her." Taka frowned, contemplating on what their next move should be. "Oh! We should review the chaos found in the room."

"That room is a total wreck. That couldn't have been caused by only one person," Mondo noted.

"Since M-Maizono-san had the knife, isn't it possible that she and someone else caused it?" Chihiro questioned, adding a new mystery to the case.

"...I fell." Sayaka mumbled, sounding like all the life had been sucked out of her.

Everyone but Makoto ignored her, not wanting to hear such an obvious lie

"She must have planned to kill someone by luring them in the room," Junko theorized.

"Then why did she need to swap rooms with Naegi?"

Hisato uncracked the truth quite easily. It was pretty obvious why Sayaka need to switch rooms with Makoto in order to carry out her plan.

Though, he did gain a newfound respect for the Ultimate Pop Sensation. If his theory was right, then she had faked her friendship with Makoto since the start, so that he trusted her enough to switch rooms. That required serious commitment for wanting to escape.

"Think about it," Kyoko spoke up. "If Maizono-san killed someone, where would the body end up?"

At that moment, Makoto let out a startled gasp. The realization pierced through his heart like a bullet.

"M-my room..."

"Correct."

Makoto stood there, speechless.

Unfortunately, the trial didn't wait for him to sort out his personal feelings. Everyone's lives were at stake.

"But then that wouldn't make Fukawa-san her initial target," Celeste argued, much to some of the students' confusion. "Think about the blood discovered on Fukawa's doorbell."

"Yes. The blood on the doorbell." Kyoko was one of the few to investigate the blood. "The only logical solution I can think of is there being another struggle present in the hallways."

"Another one?" Makoto blinked.

"Geez. Can't you people ever freaking relax?" Junko snarked. "One fight after the other..."

"Now hold on a second." Celeste pushed her fist closer to her mouth. "Fukawa-san wasn't the victim in both scenarios. If she were, she wouldn't have to ring her own doorbell."

"I like the way you think Celeste," Hisato complimented the Ultimate Gambler. "The person involved in the struggle in Makoto's room isn't Toko! They're two totally different people then!"

"Yes, and Maizono-kun might have momentarily lost that battle! That allowed the victim to escape and possibly go to the nearest room for help!" Taka added in confidently.

"That would explain why there's blood on the doorbell!" Hiro exclaimed.

"And why Fukawa-san was murdered. Unfortunately for her, the room where the altercation took place was right next to hers..." Kyoko ended with a pained expression.

That's when everyone realized that they could've been in Toko's place had their room been located next to the struggle.

Toko was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Something which she had no control over.

"Okay, but how does that explain why Fukawa-kun opened the door and let the killer stab her?" Taka asked. "If I remember correctly, a pouch of dangerous scissors were found in her room."

Chihiro offered her input. "It's s-safe to assume that the victim of the struggle went to Fukawa-san's room to get help, right?"

"That may be the case. However, upon inspecting the scissors, I found that one of them were loosened." Kyoko put in.

"Maybe she tried to fight back too? It'd make sense if the killer charged at her and their weapons clashed," Mondo reasoned.

Junko nodded, "Yeah, scissors against a knife... the knife definitely wins."

"But if she died from that one stab one, why did the killer tie her up?" Sakura wondered.

When they first discovered her dead body, there was a rope tied around her body.

"It seems like the only explanation is that she kept on fighting, so the killer had to disarm her weapon, the scissors," Celeste said.

"Fukawa is tougher than I perceived her to be," Byakuya smirked, finding it funny that the don't judge a book by its cover phrase can be true.

"I don't know why we still need to discuss more. She's the killer!" Leon accused Sayaka, not letting up.

"Yes. I'm quite certain Miss Maizono did the dirty deed," Hifumi agreed. "Unless anyone else has anything they want to share?"

The next few seconds, no one said a thing.

Sakura closed her eyes and pondered deeply.

_'Someone here holds a very suspicious alibi. I discovered this before the trial. They have the the potential to flip this whole case upside down.'_

* * *

**Select!**

**\- Byakuya**

**\- Hisato**

**\- Junko**

* * *

"I have a question," Sakura spoke up, eyeing the confident Hisato. "May I hear your alibi again... Sasaki?"

Hisato blinked, slightly taken aback by her focus on him.

"My alibi? Sure." Hisato waved it off casually. "As I said, I was sleeping in my dorm and then when I woke up I found myself in the bathroom. Next thing I know, Monokuma is barking at me to head to the gym," He explained.

Sakura chuckled softly, "That's what I thought. Tell me this. Have you read the rules?"

Hisato's face fell slightly. "Read the rules? Of course, I have. What are you getting at?"

"The rules clearly state that not sleeping in the dormitories results in punishment," Sakura smirked, watching Hisato eyes widen in realization. "If your alibi were true, you wouldn't be here with us right now."

Murmurs spread amongst the courtroom. They all realized that what Sakura said is indeed right.

"Monokuma must have made an exception with me! He already did so the first day here!" Hisato argued, not losing his cool facade.

"As much as I love you Sato-chan, that was simply a one-time thing. No more freebies!" Monokuma put his paws over his mouth. "Oops! Did I say that out loud?"

Hisato shot Monokuma a cold glare, the latter of which whistled innocently and found interest in the floor.

"Funny that you mention it." Mondo saw an opportunity and took it. "When I went to the bathroom earlier, I decided to check the stalls. I found traces of blood in one of them, so I thought it was that idiot's blood because he said he woke up in the damn bathroom! He went so far as to use some sort of injury to enforce his fake alibi!" He accused.

Hisato gritted his teeth. He glanced at his friends, hoping that they'd at least trust him. All he saw were looks of fear and confusion.

He clenched his fingers on the stand, growing angry from being cornered.

* * *

**Nonstop Debate!**

**Make Your Arguement!**

**Truth Bullets:**

**12.**** Potential Injury**

**5\. Evidence of a Struggle **

**20.** **Dorm ****Nameplates **

"Goddamn idiot! **I am not injured in any shape or capacity since arriving here!** You're making up nothing but lies!"

"I know what I saw!" Mondo rebutted.

"Sasaki does have a point. He looks pretty clean." Hiro observed.

"I don't see any injuries," Hina added in.

_"Could it have been someone's else's blood?"_ Taka thought aloud.

"Or could it have been Owada-kun's eyes playing tricks on him," Chihiro put in.

"Well, there isn't anything wrong with Mr. Sasaki so Mr. Owada is lying!" Hifumi declared passionately.

* * *

"You've got that wrong!" Makoto shouted. "Earlier today when we were all in the gym, I noticed how Sato-kun held his left shoulder like he was in pain. And do you remember when we first entered the gym? He was cursing heavily."

Makoto didn't like this trial. Both of his good friends were high on the suspect, them being Hisato and Sayaka. He took Sakura's words to heart. Personal feelings shouldn't affect his opinion, even if he felt horrible about it. Everyone's lives were at stake here.

Celeste twirled a lock of her hair, appearing quite skeptical. "I doubt someone as inferior as him is capable of hiding an injury for this long."

"Hey!"

"If this is true, I order you to perform ten push-ups right here, right now!" Taka barked.

"Yes. I believe that's the best course of action." Sakura liked the idea, as she was a master of working out. If his shoulder wasn't injured, doing ten push-ups should be easy.

Hisato winced. "W-what? You want me to do push-ups? The hell do I need to do push-ups for?! We got a trial to focus on!" Naturally, he refused.

"Do you want to solidify your alibi or not?" Kyoko inquired coldly.

"Tch." To avoid any suspicion, Hisato was forced to comply.

He dropped down to the ground, exhaling deeply. Then he began to do push-ups. The first five were no sweat. But the students noticed how his body shook non stop as he forced his body to go up.

The pain present on his face made it more obvious that he couldn't go on much longer. With a pained groan, Hisato collapsed on the ground and squeezed his left shoulder in pain.

"Gah! Alright, fine! I did sustain an injury, but it has nothing to do with the murder!" Hisato admitted furiously.

"We'll discuss that afterwards." Kyoko dismissed the topic, for now, moving on to a more dire one. "Sasaki-kun, do you happen to know what happened in Maizono-san's room?" Kyoko turned her attention to Hisato next.

"Me? I already told you I was asleep," Hisato grumbled, upset with how the trial was going.

"This note says otherwise." Kyoko revealed the slip of paper that she _'borrowed' _from Hisato's room. It was signed by Sayaka. "Don't bother lying anymore. I know you two are hiding something."

Hisato and Sayaka both tensed up after being caught. Unfortunately for Sayaka, the odds were definitely against her.

Hisato caught Sayaka's eyes on him and turned to her fully. They locked eyes, waiting for the other to say something.

It was Hisato who reacted first. He glared daggers at the blue-haird ultimate.

"Fine, you want the truth?" Fed up, Hisato spilled the beans. "I didn't sleep after you three left. I was scared, okay? After what I did to Sayaka and seeing her breakdown yesterday, I thought I pushed her to her limit and that she'd target me. So I wrote down ideas on how to cool down our differences."

Kyoko listened carefully. Everything that was being said by Hisato matched up with what she found in his files.

He continued, "Sometime after Monokuma's announcement, I heard something come from the door. Someone slipped that piece of paper under my door. When I read it and saw that it was from Sayaka, my first thoughts were to just not go. That's what I planned to do out of fear of what she might do to me in the middle of the night."

The note was passed around the circle so everyone could read it. The passing stopped at Makoto, who stared at it, unmoving.

"I wrote down some possible solutions to dissolve this issue between us. When I left my dorm..." Hisato paused, contemplating on what to say. "...I went straight to Sayaka's room. But then I noticed that Makoto and Sayaka's nameplates were swapped."

"What?" Makoto gasped. The whole point of switching rooms was so Sayaka would be safe. Her switching the nameplates made absolutely no sense.

"When I went inside the dorm, she attacked me! I defended myself with the sword in Makoto's room. We fought for a minute and when she got distracted, I ran out of there as fast as I could. I don't know how she killed Toko though..." Hisato finished his story, pinpointing Sayaka as the prime suspect now.

**Updated Truth Bullet: Hisato's Alibi**

Makoto frowned deeply. "I'm sorry Sato-kun but you're wrong! Maizono-san would never resort to killing!"

Even after all the evidence points to her, Makoto didn't believe it one bit. He was going to get to the bottom of the real truth.

"Maizono is the killer. Nice work guys!" Leon cheered, celebrating too early.

"Then what's the deal with you trying to hide it when you knew who the killer was all along?" Junko asked him, not buying his story at all.

"It's like what Byakuya is doing. There's really no point of saying anything to a bunch of people who can't add up the pieces together." Hisato smirked smugly. "But since I was cornered, I had to share it anyway."

"Never compare me to you again, you dirty scum," Byakuya scowled. Someone like Hisato shouldn't associate themselves with a Togami.

"I knew Sasaki-sama wasn't the killer!" Chihiro said.

"I guess I misjudged him. I never would've believed that Maizono was the killer." Hiro spoke his thoughts out loud.

The only ones who didn't fully trust Hisato's story were Byakuya, Kyoko, Junko, Celeste, and Makoto. Something just didn't add up.

"I-I'm not the killer!" Sayaka lost her cool. She slammed her left fist on the stand, livid. "He's nothing but a liar! Liar! Liar! Liar!"

Sayaka's temper skyrocketed. She hated that she'd been falsely accused and now everyone was buying Hisato's story. That added to the feelings of guilt she expressed towards Makoto.

Sayaka stopped acting like the nice girl everyone thought she was.

"Where's your defense? There's nothing you can do now! Drop it! You tried to kill me with the murder weapon!" Hisato yelled back, pointing at his injured shoulder.

"Yeah! What else is there left to argue?" Leon sneered.

"If she didn't tell all those lies then I probably would've believed her," Hina said somberly.

"What!? Sasaki lied just as much as Maizono!" Mondo pointed out.

"In the end, Mr. Sasaki told the truth. Miss Maizono continues to lie!"

"That's where you are wrong," Kyoko denied Hifumi's claim, catching him off guard. "Sasaki-kun isn't telling the whole truth. I have reason to believe everything but the part where he stepped foot inside Maizono-san's room."

"What?" Hisato spoke, baffled. "I revealed the killer. Are you still suspicious of my testimony?"

Kyoko couldn't help but smirk, causing Hisato to slightly grow nervous. She has evidence to contradict his claim.

"I believe the first half of your testimony, because when I searched your room. I found Maizono-san's file." Kyoko held up the file in her hand with Sayaka's name on it.

"Hey! Why the hell did you steal that from me?!" Hisato demanded, furious that she stole one of his files. Those were supposed to be a secret.

"Relax. It helps prove your words." Kyoko handed the file to him since they were right next to each other. "It was written recently from what I can tell, and in it are ways to_ Pacify Sayaka._"

Sayaka stared at him in shock, dumbfounded to learn that he was going to try to talk her out of it.

Kyoko didn't let him entirely off the hook.

"However, I have proof that debunks the rest of your story." She pulled out what appeared to be a notepad. The front page was shaded in, showcasing a new array of sentences. "Oh, and I should also mention... I found the notepad on the desk in Naegi-kun's room."

"Huh?" The male in question blinked.

"Which means, only someone who had been in Naegi-kun's room before the incident could have written it."

Hisato gritted his teeth. "And how the hell does this relate to me being wrong It further solidifies that Sayaka is in the wrong "

"Because this note also bears a perfectly legible signature: Maizono-san's signature." More and more evidence began to stockpile on the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

"So? We get it, you like playing detective," Hisato replied mockingly. "That could've easily been from the note I got."

Kyoko nodded, closing her eyes. "True. But if we align both papers together, the lines simply don't match up."

She did exactly that, showing everyone that these were two separate notes.

"My prediction is that Maizono-san invited a-"

**"I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SCHEMING!"** Hisato cut her off, taking control of the conversation.

"Now hold on! You can't conclude something that important so fast," He argued.

"Why not? The proof is evident once I explain it," Kyoko said.

"Proof? Your logic is flawed. I'll prove you wrong!"

* * *

**Rebuttal Showdown!**

**Truth Blades****:**

**3\. ****Hisato's File**

**1\. ****Monokuma File No. 1**

**2\. ****Dry Blood Hidden Beside the Fresh Bloo**d

**8.**** Hisato's Alibi**

**4\. ****Note in Hisato's Room**

"You're not making a lick of sense, Kirigiri..."

"How can you determine all of that with one trifling note?"

"There was only one person inside that room besides Sayaka: me."

"There's no way around it!"

**Advance!**

"It is true that the evidence that lays in front of us is too convenient, but it's plenty enough to conclude the presence of two people." Kyoko surmised.

"Plenty enough? You honestly still believe this?"

"Why would there be a second person involved?"

**"There is absolutely no evidence or account for the contribution of a second person!"**

"I'll cut through those words!"

* * *

"According to you Sasaki, you didn't immediately go once you got the note. Maybe she got restless and wrote another note to him after you; therefore, you never showed up in the first place." Kyoko accused him of lying, laying down solid evidence.

"For the last time, she didn't write him a fu-" Hisato's eyes turned into dots once he realized what he just said.

Kyoko smirked, "Him?"

She purposely included the male prounoun to see if Hisato would repeat it. A clever trick that managed to get what shs wanted from him.

Hisato's straight face quickly turned into a grin. "Well played, Kirigiri. Well played."

Celeste leaned forward, intimidating the blue-haired ultimate.

"So what is it? Did you or did you not send another note to another male individual?" She asked Sayaka.

"Um..."

"Maizono-kun! You must confess to your strife!" Taka barked. "There's no way you weren't involved in this."

"Hmph. That's something we can agree on." Mondo didn't like Taka and his personality. At least in this trial, following the damn rules weren't Taka's top priority.

Makoto watched the person who he used to consider his friend crumble before his very eyes.

"Maizono-san, there's no other way around it. You're caught! Please confess to us!" Makoto cried out to her, doing his best to ignore the betrayal plastered on her face.

_'I don't want to do this... Maizono-san has been there for me since this whole thing started. If I want to know the truth behind Fukawa-san's death then this is the only way__!'_

* * *

**Panic Talk Action!**

"Y-you've got it all wrong!" She cried out.

**Four Shields Remaining**

"I'll give you a private concert..."

**Three Shields Remaining**

"I didn't do it!" She grabbed the edges of her hair and pulled on them roughly, expressing her frustration.

**Two Shields Remaining**

"Gah!" Sayaka blood boiled. Her face turned beet red out of pure anger.

**One Shield Remaining**

"Screw you Naegi!" Sayaka screeched angrily, feeling betrayed that he went against her.

Down to her last wire's, the fuming Ultimate Pop Sensation tried her last chance of defending herself.

"I was never involved in a fight!"

**Truth Bullet Number Six: Replica Sword**

"This proves it!" Makoto laid out the bombshell.

Sayaka's hands went above her head. Her jaw dropped, stupefied at his accurate conclusion.

* * *

Makoto then explained how he came to this conclusion.

"During the morning, I rushed back to my room to check on Maizono-san. I found her in my bathroom and immediately noticed that she was holding her right wrist delicately, much like Sato-kun and his shoulder," Makoto stated. "I noticed gold paint on her wrist and what do you know, the edge of the sword I took has gold paint as well."

"P-please Naegi-kun..." Sayaka begged him to stop talking, but the Ultimate Lucky Student refused.

"And if you look closely, some of the paint from the sword is gone."

Byakuya continued on, "I recall a certain regulation that prohibits the use of water after nighttime. And since you claim you found her in the bathroom, she realized she couldn't wash it off. There's no doubt that it came from the struggle. She failed miserably."

"But why hide in the bathroom? The door isn't locked." Chihiro wondered aloud.

Makoto was quick to answer this.

"That's because my door has a funny way of opening. There's a trick to open it, and I only told Maizono-san about this. Monokuma there can testify it!"

"It's true! It's true! So much for being the Ultimate Lucky Student when you got such a crummy door." Monokuma giggled.

"Ah, I think I get it now." Hifumi's glasses gleamed. "Miss Maizono used Mr. Naegi again by escaping out of harms way with his bathroom door! The intruder had no idea they were in a boy's dorm!"

"She hid there because she lost the struggle. Whomever she fought with couldn't get to her so easily," Byakuya hummed, while Sayaka felt like her knees could give up at any moment.

Hisato scoffed, "So what? Are you gonna make her do the same bullshit push up test?"

"At this point, we can assume Naegi-kun is right. Maizono-san's outburst only further proves it," Kyoko said. "To be on the safe side, we might as well make her do the test."

"One single push up is reasonable. Either you can do it or you can't," Mondo suggested.

"This is unfair! Unfair! Unfair! Unfair! I won't do it!" Sayaka turned down the suggestion in a heartbeat.

Celeste rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes. This is nice and all but what does this have to do with the actual murder?" She asked, garnering some confused looks.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Chihiro inquired.

Celeste cleared her throat. "What is currently being discussed doesn't involve the actual murder of one Toko Fukawa. We've only deduced that Maizono-san attempted to kill Sasaki-kun."

"She's right. Maizono-san's actions don't necessarily pinpoint her as the killer," Kyoko agreed with Celeste. "More importantly, we must figure out both Maizono-san and Sasaki-kun's involvement in all this."

Hisato groaned, "This again? How many times do I have to have to say it? I didn't kill Toko! How could I after Sayaka tried to kill me! She had the whole thing planned out. To murder someone and frame it on Makoto!"

Makoto took a second to register that in. Sayaka was going to frame him?

"Frame me?"

"Don't be so daft Makoto!" Hisato crossed his arms. "The nameplates were swapped and she planned to kill me! Where would my body end up? In your room. Not a bad plan in fact, but only a complete moron would actually fall for such obvious bait."

"Hey!" Leon snapped. "Why are you even complimenting that psycho?! She tried to kill you!"

"An Ultimate Schemer such as myself takes it upon appreciating well thought out plans. It's in my nature." Hisato shrugged nonchalantly.

Sakura spoke up next, asking a question she's had for a while.

"Let's assume Maizono did commit the crime, how did she manage to place the body on the ceiling?"

"I-I didn't-"

Sayaka's small pleas went ignored.

"Yes! The mystery behind where Fukawa-kun's body ended up should be our next topic of discussion." Taka agreed. "Everyone, please chip in!"

* * *

**Nonstop Debate!**

**Make your Arguement****!**

**Truth Bullets:**

**18.**** Ladder**

**3.**** Hisato's File**

**15.**** Piece of a Burnt Shirt**

"That is weird. Someone her size couldn't possibly do that without some assistance." Hiro stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner.

_"Maybe she jumped off the bed and slammed her body on the ceiling?"_

"Don't be silly Hifumi. This isn't the 2-D world," Hisato chuckled.

"I think _it had to be someone tall."_

"Or _someone moved Hisato-san's desk and used that to stand on,"_ Hina suggested.

Leon looked off to the side with a frown, "Whatever the case may be, **they didn't have any sort of equipment to help them.** I didn't see any lying around."

**Truth Bullet Number 18: Ladder**

"No, that's wrong!" Makoto yelled out.

* * *

"Hold on a second, minutes before we came here, I went back to Fukawa-san's room and saw a ladder there. The killer must have used that to put her up there!"

"And how did this ladder get in Fukawa's room?" Celeste questioned him. She didn't see a ladder before and during the investigation in Toko's room.

_'One person here can back me up. In fact, I confronted them about it before the trial.'_

* * *

**Select! **

\- **Hifumi**

**\- Byakuya **

**\- Sakura**

* * *

"Togami-kun?" Makoto turned to the person who he knew set up the ladder in her room.

"Hmph," Byakuya huffed. He closed his eyes. "Yes, I did set up the ladder for my own investigation."

"Where did you find the ladder?" No one knew that there was a ladder lounging around in the school. They wanted to know where Byakuya managed to find one.

"If you must know, some buffoon left it lying around in the AV Room. It wasn't even clamped shut, therefore it was already used," Byakuya responded, boredom written on his face.

_'The AV Room? I don't remember seeing-'_

"S-so that proves that whoever the killer is, they had to have used the ladder to get her all the way up there," Chihiro concluded. "Question is, why on the ceiling?"

That left quite a number of the students stumped. The killer would've had a much easier time leaving the body on the floor rather than wasting all that effort retrieving the ladder and tying Toko on the ceiling.

"What did you find?" Taka asked Byakuya.

"As if I'd tell you all. I'll share my findings when I feel like enough work has been put into this trial," Byakuya stated, angering a few students.

"What?! Tell us!" Junko demanded hotly. Byakuya remained silent. "Ugh! Fine. Be like that jerk!"

A period of silence loomed as the students took a small break to recollect their thoughts.

Hina raised her hand.

"I have one question."

Celeste gripped one of her arms and solemnly peered down at the floor. "Oh... you..."

"You don't have to sound so disappointed!" Hina pouted, feeling humiliated by her words.

"It's fine! It's fine! Just ask your question!" Taka had little patience right now, demanding the Ultimate Swimming Pro to get to the point.

"Oh yeah! Okay, so, umm..." Hina lost her train of thought, causing some of the students to sweatdrop. "Oh right! How did the body end up in Hisato-san's room in the first place?"

Sakura hummed, "Hmm. Yes, how did Fukawa's body end up in Sasaki's room?"

"He didn't swap rooms with anyone either, so he was in his room the entire time," Taka noted. "Which begs the question from this morning, why was Sasaki-kun's door locked with him nowhere inside?"

"Did we perhaps miss anything?

"That's right. There was also some dried up blood hidden cleverly next to the fresh blood," Makoto informed everyone. "The killer must have tried to clean it before giving up and hid it with Fukawa-san's blood."

"I think the bigger picture here is the body itself," Leon interjected, shying away Makoto's comment from the rest. Makoto narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"We need an answer right now. Don't try to pull one over us like Maizono-san," Kyoko warned him.

Hisato was quick to defend himself.

"I must have left the door locked. After the encounter with Sayaka, I ran to my room to escape. I heard footsteps quickly rush over so I bailed and hid in the cafeteria!"

"Are you crazy? That's definitely a lie!" Hiro of all people corrected him of his error. "The cafeteria is blocked off at night! I know that because of Monokuma's nighttime announcements!"

"Puhuhu! It's all true!" Monokuma confirmed, giggling happily.

"Dammit! God dammit!" Hisato cursed his luck. This is what he deserved for ignoring all his nighttime announcements. He was cornered now. Everything else he had to say would be passed off as a lie.

"Settle down. Just answer this question for us," Kyoko stepped in, unfazed of his breakdown.

"Are both you and Maizono-san the cause of Toko Fukawa's murder?" It was a simple, yet important question.

Hisato stayed silent for a few seconds before responding.

"No."

"That bastard isn't cooperating!" Mondo cursed. "How the hell do we get him to talk?"

"You withhold no evidence that directs me to the murder so I don't want to hear it!" Hisato exclaimed, irritated. "All you're going by his someone's word! I owe nothing to you all without any solid evidence!"

"He's right! Leave Mr. Sasaki alone!" Hifumi backed him up.

"How the hell is he not involved in the murder?!" Mondo and Hisato glared at each other.

"Wouldn't it be smart to review the evidence or whatever?" Junko offered her input.

"Sure we can. That idiot lied about his alibi, he lied about not being injured, he lied about going in Maizono's room, and he lied about going in the cafeteria. He'll just continue lying to protect his ass!" Mondo argued, providing valid points.

Hisato scowled, "Oh sure. In case you forgot, carrying a body is heavy. Not only that but up a ladder? Doesn't sound too hard for someone of your stature, now does it?" He shot an accusing glare at Mondo, causing him to reel back.

"Actually, there is a way for the culprit not to be as strong as Owada-kun." Kyoko interjected. Mondo's eyes lit up in curiosity.

_'A way for the culprit to carry the body without being Mondo's size? I think I might have an idea...'_

Makoto closed his eyes and channeled his inner thoughts.

* * *

**Hangman's Gambit!**

**/A/**

**/C/**

**/C/**

**/O/**

**/M/**

**/P/**

**/L/**

**/I/**

**/C/**

**/E/**

"Now I understand!"

* * *

Then it came to him.

"An accomplice."

"What?" Everyone shared looks of confusion, wondering why Makoto said that.

"The killer had an accomplice! Think about it." Makoto reviewed every piece of evidence so far. "The body was found on the ceiling. People like Owada-kun or Ogami-san would have no trouble carrying a body up there but they're not the culprits. As for the rest of us, carrying a body and tying them on the ceiling is a near impossible feat alone. But with an accomplice, it's significantly easier. It also explains why there were two struggles."

"Are you implying that Sato-chan and Maizono are involved in the murder?" Junko dared to ask.

"Absolutely," Makoto answered confidently.

Obviously, Hisato and Sayaka weren't going to take this lightly.

"Are you high or are you just fucking stupid?" Hisato insulted him. "I have nothing to do with this murder. How dare you accuse me of this!"

"Screw you Naegi-kun! I thought you were on my side!" Sayaka shrieked, also insulting him in the heat of the moment.

"I-I-"

"Naegi." Sakura shook her head. Makoto eyes saddened.

Everyone began to argue after that. Either they were against Hisato or they defended him, the former being the majority.

"Enough!" Kyoko raised her voice, silencing everyone. "I'm going to ask this one last time. Unless you want all of us to die, I suggest you comply. Maizono-san, did you or did you not try to kill Sasaki-kun and frame it on Naegi-kun by swapping the nameplates?"

Sayaka saw no point in arguing anymore. No one believed her.

"I did..." She finally admitted. None were more devastated by the turn of events than Makoto himself. He considered her his friend. But now she tried to frame him for murder. She manipulated him from the start, acting all goody goody at him.

_'D-did Maizono-san ever consider me her friend?' _Makoto wondered sadly.

"And you, Sasaki-kun, did you lie about waking up in the bathroom, and causing the mess in Naegi-kun's room by fighting Maizono-san at night?"

"Tch... yes," Hisato answered reluctantly.

"I see. Then I believe your involvement in the murder is certain. And it all connects to one more person." Kyoko nodded, taking in the truth from the two suspects.

"A-are you referring to the second person Maizono-san lured to her room?" Chihiro stuttered, fearing that the person she looked up to might turn out to be a murderer.

"Precisely. I'm quite confident that the two of you know who it is." Celeste smiled wickedly. "Why on earth must you keep the identity of this individual a secret? It'll clear you both if the right evidence points to them."

_'I-It won't. They'll just think I'm crazy. I got no proof either.'_ Sayaka thought to herself, depressed. She hoped Hisato could carry the trial to the end by exposing the true killer.

"You do know being an accomplice doesn't mean you'll escape with the killer, right?" Byakuya sighed, doubting that Hisato would miss such an important part of the rules.

Much to his surprise, Hisato blinked.

"I'm sorry, what?" Hisato asked him to repeat what he just said.

Byakuya glanced at him incredulously. "You're telling me the Ultimate Schemer himself failed to recognize this when it is clearly stated in the rules?" Hisato's silence answered his question. "Pathetic. Someone can't even properly decipher the rules."

Hisato set his sights on Monokuma, who was lounging on his throne. The bear noticed his eyes on him.

"What the rich boy said is correct! The person who delivers the killing blow is considered the blackened! Any accomplices will not walk out free with the blackened," Monokuma informed them.

Hisato took the revelation in hard. He had been doing all of this for absolutely nothing. He wasted his time and effort only to find out he wouldn't even escape anyhow.

"Sonuvabitch." Hisato felt his cheeks reddened. Byakuya was right. He was the Ultimate Schemer for crying out loud! How did he fail to notice such an important detail that would've saved him from this mess?

"So I was right." Kyoko brought his attention back to the trial. "You're either the killer or the accomplice. It explains how the body got into _your_ room."

"Is it fair to assume that Maizono did it then? And that Sasaki helped her hide it?" Hiro thought aloud, still trying to process everything in his head.

"No." Hisato shook his head. "Sayaka had nothing to do with the murder."

Mondo didn't believe him. "Stop it with your bull-"

"I'm not bullshitting!" Hisato repeated louder. "Sayaka is innocent. Leave her alone."

"You know who did it then?" Junko asked, happy to see that the culprit narrowed down to either Hisato or the mystery third individual.

"Yeah. There's no point in hiding it now."

* * *

**[Select a Suspect]**

Aoi Asahina

Mondo Owada

Hisato Sasaki

Kyoko Kirigiri

Sakura Ogami

Junko Enoshima

Kiyotaka Ishimaru

Sayaka Maizono

Makoto Naegi

Hifumi Yamada

Toko Fukawa (Deceased)

**Leon Kuwata**

Celestia Ludenberg

Byakuya Togami

Chihiro Fujisaki

Yasuhiro Hagakure

* * *

Hisato pointed a finger at the supposed third individual involved in all of this.

"Our deal is off... **Leon Kuwata**!"

An encore of gasps spread amongst the students. Leon himself could only retract his head back in horror at the bold accusation.

"Wh-?!" Leon got over his shock and turned defensive. "Now hold on! Where the hell do you go off accusing me to be the killer?! You can't just go and say shit like that!"

Hiro chuckled anxiously, "He kinda has a point. How do we know you're not lying again?"

"Yes! Exactly! You're just pinning it on someone random now! That only proves that you and Maizono are the culprits!" Leon fired back.

"Unless there's some proof, we aren't going to trust your words, dear." Celeste was surprisingly in agreement with Hiro.

"My proof is you're all going to die if you think it's still me!"

"Yeah right. He is trying to slander my name now!" Leon smirked, relieved that no proof was pinned on him.

"Aw, come on! You're gonna believe this bozo over me?" Hisato said angrily.

"That's exactly what we're doing," Sakura spoke for some of the other students, believing Hisato was sprouting more lies.

"You got no proof dude. I don't know what to tell ya," Hiro added in, a bit unsure of himself.

"Do you at least have anything to prove Kuwata-kun was involved other than your words?" Chihiro asked hopefully.

"I-I..." Hisato hesitantly shook his head.

Makoto's face hardened, _'I want to believe in Sato-kun. I mean, as far as clues go... there's nothing left.'_

* * *

**Nonstop Debate!**

**Make your Arguement!**

**Truth Bullets:**

**15\. ****Piece**** of a Burnt Shirt **

**17\. Incinerator **

**7\. Replica Sword Sheath **

"It's easy to say, _'Hey, you're the killer!' _"

**"But there just aren't any more clues to include another suspect,**" Leon chimed in confidently.

"Dammit. There has to be something..." Hisato clenched his fists.

"Sayaka, why aren't you backing me up? Do you want to die?!"

"..."

"I-I'm not ready..."

"The hell have you been doing this whole time?!"

Leon scowled, "The choice is obvious. He and Maizono schemed this whole plot together!"

**Truth Bullet Number Fifteen : Piece of a Burnt Shirt **

"No! That's wrong!"

* * *

"I think Sato-kun might be on to something. He might not be lying."

Hisato grinned while Leon's eyes sharpened.

"The hell do you mean?!"

"There's a burnt shirt piece I found laying on the ground by the incinerator. I believe the killer got some blood on them. And to dispose of the shirt covered in the victim's blood, they threw it into the incinerator. But one piece burned off and got left behind," Makoto informed them, remembering what he found during his little adventure there with Hifumi and Chihiro.

Kyoko caught on to what Makoto was saying. "The killer didn't notice it then. If they had, they most certainly would have panicked. I doubt Sasaki-kun would miss out on something like that. In fact, do you mind removing your jacket?"

Confused, Hisato hesitantly removed his blazer jacket.

Just like Kyoko expected, the top left portion of it was smeared with dried blood. What's more, is that there was a large tear that was mostly covered in bandages.

"You didn't change?"

Hisato awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "I would've but Monokuma stole all my clothes when I was asleep."

Monokuma gasped, shocked at statement. "Whaaaat?! You dare slander your principal?!"

"You left a note in my room saying that you were going to wash my shirts. I still haven't gotten back," Hisato deadpanned.

Monokuma's cheeks tinged red. "Whoopsies! I was busy snuggling with them! Puhuhuhu!"

"If this were true, the burnt piece shirt doesn't belong to Sasaki-kun. He hasn't changed since yesterday night. He didn't even have any spare clothing." Kyoko summed up her version of the events. "There'd be no point in him trying to destroy the evidence. Right, Kuwata-kun?"

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-?!" Leon sputtered out random nonsense.

"But is one scrap of fabric enough to conclude that Kuwata is guilty?" Sakura inquired.

Chihiro had her doubts too. "Yeah I mean, Kuwata-kun's not the only one wearing a white button-up."

"Th-that's right! There are plenty of other people here with shirts like mine!" Leon disputed. "With just that one charred piece, there's no way you can say for sure who it belongs to!"

Makoto understood where Leon was getting at.

"You're right. That alone isn't enough. However, there are some other points that may reveal the truth." He thought of Hisato specifically. "First off, Sato-kun wouldn't call you out for no reason. Why would he when he stopped playing victim after he found out that accomplices don't win with the killer."

"Obviously because he's the real killer trying to frame me! Why else?!"

"Are you finally starting to understand? The answers to the riddle are right here," Kyoko interjected, upsetting the Ultimate Baseball Star more.

"Yeah, I think so." Makoto answered warily. "Here's the thing Leon, we have two witnesses who can tell their side of the story. Sato-kun and Maizono-san."

"They probably thought of a whole elaborate scheme today!" Leon fumed.

"Not true." Hina was the one to cut in. "I was with Hisato all day since the assembly ended."

"Then it was at night! Who fucking cares?!"

"We'll get to that later. Right now, I think I have something that can prove that Leon was somehow involved," Makoto said seriously.

"The only reason I brought this up is so we can look closely at _how_ the shirt was disposed of. With it, we should be able to figure out who the killer is."

Hearing this, Leon started to cool down.

"O-oh, yeah, that's a good point. I think I know what you're going to say."

* * *

**Nonstop Debate!**

**Make your Arguement!**

**Truth Bullets:**

**14\. ****Pouch of Sharp Scissors**

**16\. ****Shattered Glass Ball**

**18\. ****Ladder**

"You can't reach the incinerator without opening the gate in front of the trash room, right? And obviously, you wouldn't be able to hit the switch to turn it on either. You'd need the key to get in."

"And the one with the key is _t__he person on cleaning duty__!" _He reasoned.

"So the killer had to be whoever was in charge of taking care of the trash! Right?!"

Hifumi chuckled, "Hahaha. Interesting." Then he realized that he was in charge of the trash and gasped. "Gweh?!"

"Yamada-kun!" Chihiro gasped too. "D-Did you...?"

"N-no!** I swear it wasn't me!**" Hifumi begged.

**"You'd have to get real close to the incinerator in order to destroy the evidence.**"Leon pinned the heinous deed on Hifumi.

**Truth Bullet Number Sixteen: Shattered Crystal Ball **

"No! That's wrong!"

* * *

"I know how someone could dispose of the evidence without using the trash room key!" Makoto informed them.

"But if you can't get past the gate, you couldn't possibly turn on the incinerator, could you?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"Yes, you could. If you used this." Makoto showed everyone the shards of glass and dumped it on the floor.

Mondo squinted to get a better view of it. "What is it? Some kind of glass ball? It's busted to hell."

Hiro recognized the broken shards as one of his own. "You know, now that I think of it, I haven't seen my crystal ball in a while. Think that's what happened to it?"

"Yes. And I know how it's current state came to be." Makoto began to feel more comfortable as he went on, solving the puzzle bit by bit. "The killer simply took aim at the incinerator switch and threw the ball through the gap in the gate. All they had to do was hit that switch, and the incinerator would come to life."

Hifumi was awestruck, amazed at the killer's skill. "Someone threw that through the gap in the gate?!"

"Remember what you said earlier?" Makoto urged him to remember their earlier conversation. "You had the key so the only way the incinerator could have been turned on without your knowledge was because the killer was able to hit the switch without opening the gate. Once they have gotten the incinerator going, all they had to do was ball up the shirt and toss it in!"

Makoto's strong evidence gave Hisato the hope he needed to carry on. For some reason, he hated the feeling.

"That wouldn't be hard for the Ultimate Baseball Star, now would it?" Hisato knew they had Leon cornered this time.

Leon knew this too. He felt his insides twist miserably.

"H-hey, come on what the hell is this?"

"If the killer had been on cleaning duty, the evidence would've been taken care of much more thoroughly," Kyoko noted, crossing off Hifumi from the suspect list.

"W-wait! No, hold on a second!" Leon tried to stop them from going any further but his fragile voice failed to get anyone's attention.

"But the distance from the gate to the incinerator has to be at least." Chihiro had a mental image of the trash room, calculating the distance rather easily. "...thirty feet. Right? The pinpoint accuracy you'd need to throw a crystal ball that far and hit something so small could someone really do that?"

Leon jumped in on her thoughts. "Th-that's right! There's no way. It'd be impossible!"

"Difficult? Absolutely. Impossible? I don't think so, it wouldn't be much trouble for the Ultimate Baseball Star!" Makoto finished off strong, pushing back the last ounce of hope from Leon.

"D-do you have any idea how stupid you sound right now?!"

"A target thirty feet away would surely be little challenge for the Ultimate Baseball Star," Celeste coldly agreed.

"Y-y-you can't be serious! I-I... I'm not the killer! These goddamn shit-for-brains have got it all wrong! I'm telling you! Think about it. Wouldn't the Ultimate fucking Schemer have no problem with his accuracy by mapping it all out?!" He went straight back to accusing Hisato.

Hisato smirked, "While that may be true, I'm afraid it isn't the case."

"And why the hell not?!"

Makoto was the one to speak for Hisato, using his past friendship to debunk Leon's claim.

"It's because Sato-kun is left-handed! With his left shoulder injured, there's no way he could be able to make the shot perfectly!" Makoto shared this information with everyone. While doing so, it creeped Hisato out.

"Dude. You literally know so much about me that it's creepy." Hisato bore an uncomfortable expression.

"Now Maizono-san, can you confirm that it was Leon who you tried to lure second?" Makoto asked his classmate.

Speaking of Sayaka, she seemed really out of it. She maintained a neutral expression and spoke in a monotone voice.

"Yes... I tried to kill him.." The way she said it so smoothly freaked a lot of people out.

That was the last thing Makoto needed to hear.

"Naegi-kun, go ahead and review the incident one more time to make his crime perfectly clear. I would say you Sasaki-kun but you might try to twist it again," Kyoko requested.

Hisato raised his hands in defense. "That's fine. It'll be heard better if Makoto told it anyway. End this."

Leon was on the verge of tears. "Listen to me! What the hell do you mean end this?!"

"Say what you want Leon, but all the questions have been answered. The truth has been revealed."

Makoto took a deep breath.

"Now here's what happened..."

* * *

Last night, Maizono-san and I switched rooms. Seeing this as a prime opportunity, Maizono-san tried to kill someone, which was supposed to be Sato-kun. She wrote a note and slipped it under his door.

Fortunately for him, he decided to stay put. He knew it was some sort of trap from the start, so he wrote down ways to settle the issue peacefully.

Maizono-san got restless, so she wrote another note. This time, to the killer. The killer went into the room Maizono-san was in. In other words, my room.

From what we can tell, she invited that person there intending to kill them. She attacked them with the knife she'd taken from the kitchen earlier.

But then something happened that she wasn't prepared for. The killer grabbed the fake sword I'd put in my room and fought back.

During the struggle, a strike from the sword broke Maizono-san's right wrist. And that's when she lost her grip on the kitchen knife.

Finding herself cornered, Maizono-san panicked and ran into the bathroom. The killer went after her, but couldn't get the bathroom door open.

What they didn't know was that my bathroom door gets stuck easily, and there was a trick to opening it. Maizono-san knew about that because I'd told her, but of course, the killer had no way of knowing.

So instead, the killer took the kitchen knife and exited her room. I believe they went to go for something to bust the door open with. Because they thought it was locked, they possibly went to fetch their toolkit, confirming the killer is male.

However, someone stood in their way.

Sato-kun just so happened to be in the hallway, most likely going to confront Maizono-san himself with something he planned.

The killer and Sato-kun crossed paths. The killer charged at him and managed to slash his shoulder.

Sato-kun managed to briefly knock him down. Fearing for his life, Sato-kun began to run to the nearest room... Fukawa-san's room! He rang the doorbell frequently, accidentally leaving traces of blood on it.

When Fukawa-san did eventually open the door, she was caught in the fray. Apparently, she carried around a small punch of sharp scissors. So we can assume that the killer went for her instead and she tried to defend herself.

But then the killer stabbed Fukawa-san.

The killer also forced Sato-kun to do as he said, or else he'd end up like Fukawa-san. So with the help of an accomplice, the killer and Sato-kun quickly began destroying the evidence.

First, the killer took off their shirt, which was covered in the victim's blood. Meanwhile, Sato-kun dragged the body in his room.

Afterward, the killer headed to the trash room to destroy their bloody shirt. They tried to burn the shirt using the incinerator there. But the trash room was blocked off by an especially sturdy gate, preventing access to the incinerator.

So they came up with a plan to use Hagakure-kun's crystal ball, which he'd left in the laundry room.

The killer managed to throw the ball through the gap in the gate and hit the incinerator's switch.

For any normal person, that'd be an impossible throw, but the killer had the confidence to take the shot. Sato-kun couldn't have taken the shot because of his injury.

And that's because the killer is the Ultimate Baseball Star!

The crystal ball, thrown with absolute precision, hit the switch on the incinerator, which then quickly roared to life.

Having destroyed that piece of evidence, the killer then headed AV Room to grab the ladder.

But there was one thing they missed. Part of the shirt they'd thrown into the fire burnt away and fell out of the incinerator. The killer didn't notice this, and so left behind a piece of indisputable evidence.

A ladder was then carried to Sato-kun's room, where he already had the body. Unfortunately for him, his shoulder kept bleeding. By the time he bandaged it up, the blood was already on the floor.

To hide this, he and the killer set up the ladder at that exact spot. They lifted the body all the way up on the ceiling and tied her up there.

Why not leave her on the floor? Well, Fukawa-san was _still_ alive. Sato-kun tied her up to prevent her from moving. The only reason I can think is that she may have still been fighting back strong. So Fukawa-san died from the amount of blood loss from the stab wound.

Then they both returned to the AV Room to put the ladder back. But because of Sato-kun's injury, the ladder wasn't put back properly.

Sato-kun participated in this despicable act for two reasons. One, because he really had no choice since the killer was armed. Sure he had a weapon with him too, but I don't believe he'd be in fighting condition after his injury.

The second reason is that he didn't understand Rule Three. Sato-kun really did believe that he could escape with the killer, so kept his mouth shut.

* * *

"Isn't that right, Leon?!" Makoto threw everything he had at Leon in order to shift the blame towards him. His only flaw is that he didn't hold any sort of actual evidence that pinpointed to Leon directly. The same could be said about Hisato too.

"Woah!" Hisato eyes were widened in disbelief throughout Makoto's retelling of what went down. He was scarily accurate. Too accurate.

_'Makoto is really something...'_

Makoto was finished there though.

"It would appear that Hagakure-kun simply forgot his crystal ball in the laundry room." Makoto acknowledged Hiro's head nod. "You went there to try and wash the blood out of your shirt, and that's where you saw it, right? Seeing the ball, you thought of a way to take care of everything."

"So Kuwata, do you object to anything that's been said?" Kyoko asked. Leon sputtered in disbelief, eyeing her as if she asked the stupidest question.

"Do I object?" Leon slammed his fist on the podium. "Hell yes, I object! Of course, I do! I object! I object!" He roared violently, reaching his limit.

People like Hifumi and Chihiro cowered back, frightened by the sound of him slamming the podium. Others like Celeste, Byakuya, and Hisato were amused at his act of aggressiveness.

"I mean, all of this is just a bunch of stupid theories! You need evidence! Where's the evidence?! Without it, it's all bullshit! It's bullshit and I refuse to acknowledge it!"

He then brought up an alarming point in the midst of his defense.

"Everything that you're fucking accusing me of can be swapped out with that bastard!" He pointed at Hisato, glowering at him. His eyes were full of hatred. "Hell, it can even be traced back to Maizono! Without proof, you're right back at square fucking one!"

Makoto flinched._ 'H-he's right. I don't think we have any evidence that for sure pins it on Leon or Sato-kun or Maizono! A-are we actually forced to guess?'_

The only positive thing about the situation is that the killer is narrowed down to three people. Leon, Sayaka, or Hisato. It's not that positive considering that one of them would soon face punishment if they are correct.

Makoto hoped his luck wouldn't run out. He really needed it right about now.

"None of you dolts have any evidence, do you?" Byakuya pinched the bridge of his nose when he saw everyone's lost faces. "Pitiful. It seems we must guess the killer now."

"G-guess?!" Junko gasped. "No way! What about revealing what you found?"

Byakuya shook his head. "Unfortunately, what I have isn't related to this topic."

"So you admit you're just as idiotic as us!"

"Absolutely not! I was just more focused on something else," Byakuya denied, disgust written on his face. "This is the last time I'll trust any of you to find the killer. You three. Present your cases now."

Like Makoto, Byakuya assumed that either Hisato, Sayaka, or Leon was the killer. Everyone reluctantly followed his lead. There was no defining evidence that specifically points the finger at one of them.

Sayaka presented her defense first.

"I didn't do it..." Was all she had to say.

Not a convincing defense at all.

Hisato was up next.

"I'll just say that Sayaka isn't the killer for the umpteenth time. It's your choice if you want to believe me or not. There's no reason for me to protect anyone anyhow so trust me on this," Hisato told them, practically hinting that it was between him and Leon.

Sayaka looked at Hisato in surprise. She didn't expect him of all people to defend her. Especially after he tried to frame it on her earlier.

"As for my defense... well, I stand with Makoto's retelling of what went down. Everything he said is true," Hisato said, praising the Ultimate Lucky Student. "Also, I technically saved two people. I saved Sayaka from what could've been worse had Leon managed to get Makoto's bathroom door unlocked. And I saved Junko by preventing her from attacking Monokuma."

Sayaka's face shifted into more signs of shock and realization while Junko scowled at the memory.

"If I was the killer, why the hell would I save people when they would've been killed anyway had I been successful with the trial? Not only that but more people mean higher chances to get found out. I only helped his sorry ass because I thought I'd escape with him." Hisato finished his defense, allowing Leon to say something.

"It's clearly not me! Remember how many times he lied? He even tried to pin it on Maizono and now he's suddenly defending her? Isn't that odd?"

"I'm only defending her because your jackass killed Toko! Both Sayaka and I know that he's involved, yet he keeps on denying it!" Hisato objected.

Just as it seemed that Leon was going to refute, Monokuma started yawning.

"Boooooring! Geez, you lousy students sure do know how to make a trial lame!" Monokuma yawned, stretching his arms. "Being hand-fed the truth is totally boring! I wanted more drama! Fights! Breakdowns! This is so boring that I'm just going to begin the voting now!"

Monokuma then proceeded to instruct them.

"You all have a lever in front of you. Use it to make your selection! Oh, just to remind you all. Make triple sure you vote for someone! You wouldn't want to be punished for something so minor, right?"

Everyone readied up.

"Okay! Then let's get excited! Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the correct choice or dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"

Hisato tuned out Monokuma's pointless rambling. He selected Leon has his vote and pulled the lever.

Sayaka secretly glanced at Hisato before picking her vote, Leon.

Leon silently chuckled as he picked Hisato, believing that he convinced everyone that he was the killer.

Mondo quickly chose his vote, believing Leon's words.

Taka hesitated for a moment. He couldn't believe their fate rested in a guess. He grudgingly selected his pick.

Feeling iffy about the lies Hisato told her, Sakura also chose to lock her vote on someone she found the most suspicious.

Hina sadly pulled her level, regretting her vote.

Hiro used his skills to help him decide who to vote for. In the end, he concluded that there was a thirty percent chance the person he chose for was the killer so he stuck with that, forgetting that one out of the three definitely counted as thirty percent each.

Chihiro stood firm on her belief that Hisato wasn't the killer and voted.

Hifumi had the same mindset despite his doubts, he voted for the same person.

Junko obviously knew who she wanted to vote for. After all, she still needed him dead as requested by her sister.

Celeste didn't need to think too hard about it. She voted for her choice and elegantly pulled down the lever.

Byakuya didn't need to be told twice on who he should pick for.

Kyoko silently cast her vote.

Makoto looked around the courtroom. Everyone appeared to be done voting and were all staring at him as he was the last one left.

Hisato grinned at him and did a thumbs-up gesture.

Leon didn't bother to spare a glance at him, opting to stare at his vote nervously.

Makoto gulped. He slowly selected his vote and pulled the lever. When he did, the sound of spinning could be heard coming from the slots.

Instead of usual numbers and logos on the slots, pictures of everyone's face were on each slot. The three slots kept on spinning until it eventually stopped on the same person's face.

Loud sounds erupted from the machine and the word, **Guilty**, shone brightly

The slots had Leon's face on it.

The vote tally appeared on the screen and only two individuals had votes. It showed the following:

**Hisato Sasaki: Six Votes**

**Leon Kuwata: Nine Votes**

Hisato released a huge sigh of relief and collapsed on the floor.

"Uh-oh! Looks like you got it right at the money!" Monokuma wailed. "The blackened in this case, the one that killed Toko Fukawa was none other than Leon Kuwata!"

Leon was speechless. His face paled considerably as he felt many pairs of eyes on him. All he could do was stare at Monokuma in complete terror.

"H-hold on a second..." Leon started, sincerely hoping he could talk his way out of it.

"I-I don't believe it." Hina clasped her hands over her mouth. Tears could be seen falling from her face.

Mondo, however, was angry at Leon. "S-son of a bitch! What the hell is wrong with you?! You almost killed us all!"

He voted for Hisato. That alone would have killed them all if enough votes were on Hisato. Luckily, enough people believed in Hisato instead of Leon.

"I-I didn't have a choice, it was kill or be killed!" Leon pointed an accusing finger at Sayaka. "That crazy skank tried to kill me! And then Fukawa tried t-to... I was caught up in the heat of the moment; I lost control of myself!"

"S-so that's why I killed Fukawa." Fresh tears dripped down his face. He furiously wiped away his tears. "None of you are any different! One wrong step and you'd be the one standing here! It was a complete chance I wound up like this!"

Leon's knees grew shaky. His legs were about to give up on him. "I was just unlucky that's all..."

"I have to hand it to ya Leon. You almost pulled it off. Almost." Hisato got back to his feet, watching Leon's fall to his knees and begin sobbing. "Thing is, leaving witnesses alive usually doesn't turn out well."

"Leave him alone! Why the hell are you still making fun of him when he's about to die?!" Junko raged.

Hisato shrugged, "I'm sorry. Were you the one that was about to be killed by that asshole? If I wasn't there, who knows what he could've done to Sayaka. Don't treat him as an innocent victim. He didn't have to try to kill me. If he just walked off without another word, I wouldn't have tried to get Toko's help. All of this could've been avoided if Leon repressed those damn hormones of his.."

Hisato wasn't having any of it, especially from Junko. He didn't feel any remorse towards Leon. All the things he said were valid on his defense. Leon deserved to die. He took the opportunity to kill someone at night plain and simple.

"So, can we just get the execution over with? I haven't slept in forever.." Hisato asked Monokuma to speed things up.

"Anything for you, Sato-chan~" Monokuma squealed, excited to see Hisato wanting the execution to commence. "Now then. Since you so magnificently revealed the identity of the killer during the class trial, the blackened, Leon Kuwata, will receive his punishment!"

Leon's heart sank.

"P-punishment?" Leon gulped. "You mean e-execution? Wait a second!" He got on his knees. "I didn't have a choice. I had to kill her! I was just protecting myself in the heat of the moment. It was self-defense!"

Leon's argument irked one particular female student.

"How exactly was it self-defense?" Celeste was the one who spoke. Her cold stare was enough to make Leon shiver. "You recklessly charged at Sasaki-kun on your own free will. He didn't need to wake up Fukawa-san if you had just gone to your room. You had any number of chances to stop what you were doing; but you chose not to. Is it not because you had an unclouded intent to commit murder?"

"N-no! That's not..."

"Stop it." Hisato cut off Leon's shaky mumbling. "I've had enough of this pathetic display."

Celeste put a hand over her mouth, feigning shock. "Oh? Are you sure? Weren't you almost killed by him?"

"Please. I could've handled the situation easily if I wanted to. I had my own object of self-defense." Hisato kicked the combat knife on the ground.

Celeste's eyes widened. "Are you implying you set up Kuwata-kun's demise from the start?"

Hisato shook his head.

"You overestimate my abilities, dear Celeste. Toko was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time. Shame her room happened to be the nearest one."

Hisato lowered his head, grinning strangely. "But hey, believe what you want. It may be true, it may be false. Either way, I'm innocent."

"Don't tell me you actually did do this..." Junko glared at the grinning student.

"Hey! I'm for sure not the culprit of this crime. It's your choice whether to believe it or not." Hisato raised his hands in defense. "I hate all of this just as much as the next person. Why else do you think I saved you? I don't want to see any more people get hurt. Especially a friend."

He continued his speech, resting his chin on his hand. "I could've killed Leon myself if I wanted to but I didn't. I thought I could talk some sense into that idiot but then Toko opened the door and everything went batshit crazy. One moment she was terrified, the next she complained about me bleeding and turned into a crazy psycho! She took out a freaking pair of scissors I kid you not and went for Leon. I'm sure you all know what happened afterward."

"What's your point?" Junko questioned him, confused.

"My point is something unnatural went down. I don't know what it is but I'm sure as hell going to get to the bottom of it. We wouldn't want more people dead, now would we?"

"You really know how to make things booorriiing. I thought you were more sinister." Monokuma slouched around on his throne. "Anyway, let's hurry up and get to what everyone's been waiting for. The punishment!"

"I'm begging you! Please don't do this!" Leon pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

"No more begging! No more excuses! You must pay the penalty for breaking the rules! Society demands it!"

Realizing his hopes went down the drain, Leon stopped begging and ran to the way they arrived here. Unfortunately, it had been blocked off by a wall.

"NOOO! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Leon cried out, banging his fists on the wall.

Many of the students froze right there on the spot. Watching some begging for their life was bad enough, but now they were going to have to witness Leon getting executed in person.

Monokuma laughed at his pathetic last attempt. "Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata!"

"NO! PLEASE!" Leon's pleas went unheard from the sadistic bear.

"Let's give it everything we got! It's PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

Leon looked back, exposing his teary face.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

A buzzard popped up from where Monokuma sat. He grabbed a toy mallet and slammed the big red button.

A screen then appeared on the buzzard, revealing an eight-bit version of Leon, along with one of Monokuma walking towards him.

Two giant words were displayed at the top, signifying how everyone here was a pawn under Monokuma's control.

**GAME OVER**

The eight-bit version of Monokuma then started to drag Leon across the screen by the neck. A new set of words followed:

**LEON HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!**

The lights dimmed out, making the entire courtroom go pitch black.

Leon had a nervous smile plastered on his face. Surely this was all some elaborate prank. He wasn't going to really die, was he?

He turned his head left and right, gazing into the eyes of his classmates. He saw fear, disturbed, tears, and tranquil emotions just to name a few.

Then out of nowhere, he felt something clamp around his neck. The cries and screams of everyone flew past Leon's hearing. Instead, he stretched his arm out forward.

His hand went out to Hisato, using his last moments to shout a curse at him. Much to Leon's horror, Hisato waved goodbye to him rather calmly.

Leon was yanked back harshly. The chain around his neck forced him to enter a door that just unlocked.

"Kuwata!" One by one, the students raced towards the area where Leon was dragged too.

Hisato looked back at the throne where Monokuma sat. He was no longer there, so he assumed he used one of his weird tricks to disappear.

The Ultimate Schemer sighed and proceeded to run after his classmates.

When he arrived at where everyone stopped, a large gate stood in front of them. It blocked everyone from where Leon's execution was to take place.

A pitching machine rose from the floor. It slowly loaded itself up with baseballs. The sound of it starting up resembled that of an engine. Monokuma appeared beside it, wearing a baseball cap and he held a black baseball bat.

**The 1,000 Blows**

The first shot released a baseball gunning right after Leon's torso. Everyone could see where this was going.

More shots soon followed, building up speed. Then all of a sudden, the speed of which it was shooting baseballs skyrocketed.

The pitching machine went up and down and even went around in circles, ensuring that Leon felt pain throughout his whole body. Monokuma struck each baseball that rebounded off of Leon's body back at him.

Hisato stared at Leon's face. The look of extreme pain was clearly visible. He thought he'd feel just as traumatized as his companions, yet he didn't feel any sort of grief watching Leon die before him.

It felt as if he had gone through this so much that the sight of murder didn't affect him anymore. Strange considering he just gave a speech about how he wanted to prevent murders.

He failed to hear Leon's screams any longer. The gate opened and Monokuma scurried off, giggling madly.

Leon's dead body remained on the beam he was tied up to. His arms and head were limp, with no signs of moving.

Dozens of baseballs surrounded the area around Leon. Most of which were covered with his blood.

No one said a thing. They had witnessed one of their friends murdered in such a brutal fashion.

Naturally, Monokuma decided to ruin this.

"Now that's what extreme! I feel the adrenaline forcing through me like lightning!" Monokuma flailed his arms side to side, celebrating a successful execution. And such a cruel one too might he add.

Sayaka couldn't hold back her anguish any longer. It was her fault this all happened. She deliberately lured Leon to try to kill him. That led to both his and Toko's demise. Now she was forced to live with this guilt. All because she wanted to see her idol mates again.

She burst into tears out in the blue. Not only had she caused the death of her two classmates, but she also believed that she lost a friend in Makoto for trying to frame him.

This caused a chain reaction amongst the students.

Chihiro began to cry too, only she cried heavier than Sayaka.

"I-I just... I-I can't take it!" Chihiro couldn't find the strength to talk. She covered her hands over her face and continued to sob.

Hifumi's mouth was agape. His hands edged close to his chin as he was trembling in fright.

Hiro crouched down and ran his hands through his hair in an effort to maintain his sanity. "S-someone just got freaking murdered!" Having seen it in person took a heavy toll on him.

"No! No! No! This can't be real!" Junko similarly hid her face with her hands. However, she only did that to hide the growing smile on her face.

"K-Kuwata-kun... Taka forced himself to look away to restrain himself from crying. Hina herself tried this but failed, allowing her tears to run down her face freely.

Then there were others who were disturbed by the scene, yet managed to maintain their cool demeanor. Those like Byakuya, Celeste, Mondo, Kyoko, and Sakura kept cool throughout the whole ordeal.

Hisato decided to take the initiative while Makoto sparked up an argument against Monokuma.

"Stop crying. You did what you had to do." Surprisingly, Hisato placed his hand on Sayaka's shoulder.

Hearing no response other than her crying, he went on.

"Sure this may have been all your fault. Actually, I think it is all your fault." Hisato winced as her crying increased. "Eh, what I'm trying to say is its survival of the fittest. Even if you failed in killing me and Leon, you saved it for us all at the end. You and Makoto. I don't know your reasoning for wanting to leave so bad but I sure as hell respect your whole plan. We both have our priorities."

"Th-they all hate me!" Sayaka cried out, sniffling. One specific brown-haired boy came to mind.

"It's not so bad. People hate me too and I'm positive they still do. You just gotta find the right group." Hisato rubbed her back soothingly. "Know that even if you tried to kill me, you can always find a friend in me."

With that said, Hisato left her and walked to his group of friends.

Sayaka thought about what he offered her. He must have been delusional or something. Why on earth would he want to be friends with someone who tried to murder him?

She wiped her tears from her eyes and pushed her hair back. Sayaka watched as Hisato spread his arms out wide and hugged Chihiro. The poor girl broke down in his arms.

_'Why's he being so nice all of a sudden? Kuwata-kun dead!' _Sayaka took note that Hisato was the only one doing something to console people. In this case, his friends.

After he was done with Chihiro, he checked to make sure Hifumi was doing alright.

_'I-I know I never really disliked him but it's really weird seeing him act like this. Naegi-kun wasn't lying. He really is a caring individual even if he tried to hide it.'_ Sayaka thought to herself.

Hisato then turned to Junko. Rather than hugging her like Chihiro, he leaned in close and whispered beside her ear.

Sayaka looked back to Makoto. Sadness overcame her as she saw Kyoko grab his arm and started to talk to him.

_'He's already going to find new friends. Naegi-kun doesn't like me anymore.' _Sayaka clenched her fists. She didn't blame Makoto. She completely betrayed his trust and manipulated him.

She didn't deserve to be Makoto's friend.

Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if no one wanted to talk to her ever again after her true motive was revealed.

But she was reminded of Hisato's words.

_'You can always find a friend in me.' _

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She didn't want to be all alone. At least she'd be with people who weren't wary of her. Who despised her.

She lost her friend, she got people killed, no one liked her, she lost everyone's trust. Worst of all, she'll never know what happened to her idol mates.

What else did she have to lose?

"Nighttime is approaching so you brats better go to your rooms!" Monokuma announced brightly.

"Let's get out of here." Hisato led his group out of there and they walked the long hallway that was connected to the courtroom.

Without much hesitation, Sayaka followed them, getting rid of the last of her tears.

When Hisato, Junko, Chihiro, and Hifumi entered the elevator, they were surprised to see Sayaka standing outside. She was staring at the floor, hugging her right arm.

A discussing broke between Hisato, Junko, and Hifumi. Sayaka could make out what they were saying. She heard Junko call her a "murderer" and Hifumi saying that they shouldn't be anywhere near her.

Just as Sayaka was about to change her mind, Hisato clapped his hands.

"Guys! Relax! I told her to come with us," Hisato explained to them.

"Sasaki-sama? But why?" Chihiro asked him, hiding behind Hisato's back. She eyed Sayaka cautiously.

"With all due respect Mr. Sasaki, she isn't safe to have around. You were forced to participate in this despicable case. She did this in her own free will." Hifumi didn't like this at all. For once, he didn't want to have a hot pop singer around him.

"Yeah. Have you gone insane?" Junko smacked Hisato's injured shoulder intentionally.

"Gah! Can you all just chill for a sec?" Hisato ignored the pain rising from his left shoulder and faced Sayaka. "If anything happens then I'll take responsibility and we can dump her. Trust me on this one for now."

Hisato extended his hand out to her. Sayaka stared at his hand for a few seconds before taking it and entered the elevator with them.

She didn't feel exactly welcomed, but it was nice having someone who did treat her kindly.

Once the elevator reaches back to the main floor, the five students headed to their dorms as a group.

The first stop was at Sayaka's dorm, but she didn't want to go just yet so they went to Chihiro's room first.

"Everything is going to be alright. Please try to get some sleep." Hisato bent down some to pat her head.

"O-okay..." Chihiro sadly nodded and went inside her room. Across the hall was Junko's room.

"Take care, Jun-" Hisato heard the door slam shut, cutting him off from his goodbye to Junko. "...ko. I swear having her play nice is too much to ask."

Hisato's room was right across Hifumi's room, marking their last stop.

"Night, Hifumi," Hisato yawned, waving at his friend.

"Yes, even after that traumatizing experience, I hope I can catch some sleep. Goodnight, Mr. Sasaki!" Hifumi shut the door, leaving Sayaka and Hisato standing out the hallway.

"Don't mind them. They'll warm up to you eventually with my help." Hisato smiled. He reached for his doorknob and opened the door.

Toko's dead body remained on his floor.

"Ahh!" Hisato gasped. "Monokuma! What the hell is your deal?!"

Monokuma showed up, hugging Hisato's leg. "I love it when you say my name Sato-chan!"

"Well, I don't! Why the hell is Toko's body still here?!" He demanded.

A question mark appeared beside Monokuma's head.

"Huh? I thought you'd enjoy the added decorations."

"Why the hell would I?!"

Monokuma detached himself from his leg and trekked closer to the body. "You never appreciate my gifts! I'll have it cleaned out by morning you ungrateful hooligan."

"By morning?!" Hisato groaned. He really just wanted to go to sleep. Sleeping with a dead body around was not part of his agenda.

He thought about bunking with Junko, but then remembered he wasn't really on good terms with her room-wise after he invaded her room yesterday.

Hifumi came to mind, but he imagined how that'd turn out. He most likely kept weird stuff in his room that Hisato didn't want to discover.

Bunking with Chihiro was out of the picture too. He liked her, but she's probably crying right now. All night perhaps. He couldn't sleep with all that noise.

That left one last person.

"Looks like I have to bunk with Makoto. No offense to you but... you know." Hisato awkwardly scratched his cheek. He may have opened up the idea to befriend her but that didn't mean he fully trusted her.

"I know." Sayaka understood his reasoning perfectly. The two of them silently journeyed off to the same area because Sayaka and Makoto's rooms were right next to each other.

Much to Sayaka's discomfort, Makoto was already by his room, ready to head on inside.

"Yo! Makoto! Wait up!" Hisato rushed to his acquaintance and began informing him of his issue.

_'He probably doesn't want to see my face,' _Sayaka sighed bitterly. She entered her room without another word.

Meanwhile, Makoto listened to Hisato. "That sure is mean of Monokuma to keep the body there." He wasn't on board with Hisato's request though. "Please don't take this the hard way Sato-kun. I just want to be alone for tonight. I don't think it's very smart to repeat the same mistake again either."

After the incident with Sayaka, Makoto started to have doubts about who to trust. Those doubts were something he wished he didn't have.

"Aw man. Seriously?" Hisato frowned. "I have to sleep somewhere. Ugh."

"What about Celeste? I'm sure she'd be kind enough to allow you in her room," Makoto suggested. He had previously told him why he wouldn't bunk with his other friends, so Celeste came to the Ultimate Lucky Student's mind next.

"There's no amount of money in the world that would get me to share a room with her." Hisato blatantly refused to be in Celeste's company.

He was so sure her mind games could conquer his talent easily.

"Hagakure-kun?"

"Don't know him that well."

"Ogami-san?"

"She'll tear me to pieces."

"Ishimaru-kun?"

"He'll force me to follow a schedule."

"Togami-kun and Owada-kun are out of the picture." Makoto's face lit up. "Hina-san seems like a good choice. She likes everyone!"

Hisato facepalmed. "Hina! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks, Makoto! I appreciate all of your help!" He thanked him and then wandered off to Hina's room at the end of the hall.

Makoto smiled. He looked next door, Sayaka's room. His smile soon disappeared and he shook his head. He entered his own room, making extra sure that it was locked tight.

Hisato stood outside Hina's door. Not seeing any reason to delay his request, he rang the doorbell.

A minute later, Hina opened the door in nothing but a towel. This could only mean that she had just finished bathing.

"Oh. Hey Hisato-san" Hina greeted him casually. It was then that she realized her appearance and released a yelp, slamming the door in his face.

"Oh for the love of..." Hisato rang her doorbell again. Hina only opened a portion of her door. "Don't be so nervous. I have no intention to perv on anyone during the duration of our stay here. I've only come to tell you about my strife."

Hina face poked out through the gap. "What do you want?"

Hisato explained to her his current situation and why he refused to sleep in a room with a dead body.

Hina's eyes softened, sympathizing the Ultimate Schemer. "Oh, so you got nowhere to sleep? What about your friends?"

"I've already asked. They wished to be alone." He lied straight to her face. She fell for the lie easily, something which Hisato took a mental note of. "May I sleep in your room? Rules state I have to sleep in a dorm or else I'll get punished."

Hina remained unconvinced.

"I dunno. I don't think Taka would like it if he finds out," She reminded him of when Taka scolded him and Junko for sharing a room.

"That's why he won't find out. It's just for one night! Please, Hina. Wouldn't it be more reassuring to have someone there with you?"

"Having someone in here at night isn't exactly reassuring."

Hisato decides to guilt-trip her.

"But you let Sakura sleep here. Am I not your friend too?" He whimpered rather dramatically. Only someone like Hina bought it.

"You are! You are! Sakura-chan's a girl. Having a boy in the same room is weird..." She admitted shyly, hiding her face behind the door.

"Do you honestly think we're in the best position to have relationships? I have no intention of hooking up with anyone, especially when I could die at any time," He responded truthfully. Sure some of the girls here are beautiful, but focusing on surviving was the top priority for Hisato. Forming relationships were at the bottom of his list.

Hina contemplated on the matter. "When you put it like that, I guess you're right. B-but let me get dressed first!" She rudely closed the door on his face again.

_'That stupid bear did this on purpose. And here I thought he was in love with me or something.' _He shuddered at the thought. Monokuma's true passion was obviously watching people suffer. Having a psycho bear invested in him can only lead to trouble.

Besides, it's not like he and Monokuma could possibly ever be partners.

The door opened, so Hisato let himself in. Hina's room definitely represented her personality. It was filled with all sorts of signs that showed she was into fitness. She owned a medicine ball, a dumbbell, a pair of running shoes, and a step machine just to name a few.

Hisato saw Hina's bed and collapsed on it. This is when Hina saw the problem in letting him bunk with her.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Hisato slyly asked her, removing his blazer jacket. He got comfortable laying on Hina's bed. "I think you can probably get comfy in the tub."

His eyes scanned Hina. Her long brown hair draped down her back. Her red tracksuit jacket was off, leaving her in her white tank top that exposed a good amount of cleavage. She removed her shorts as well, wearing nothing but her white panties.

Even though Hisato said that he wasn't focused on romance, her appearance could make any male squirm uncomfortably.

"Gah! Why the hell are you going to sleep like that when I'm here!" Hisato shielded his eyes with his arm.

"Ah!" Hina apparently realized her apparel and covered herself with a pillow.

"Ugh," Hisato propped himself off the bed, hiding the faint blush on his cheeks. "Fine. Take the bed. Hand me the spare blanket or something."

Getting handed the blanket, Hisato laid down on the floor. He draped the blanket over his body and sunk his face on the pillow.

"Haha... great," Hina chuckled awkwardly. She got into bed but she couldn't fall asleep.

All she could think about was Leon's execution.

"Psst. Hisato," Hina whispered, not wanting to sleep with dark thoughts clouding her head.

"Go to sleep," The Ultimate Schemer grumbled.

"I can't stop thinking about Kuawata," She whimpered.

"He's dead. Be glad you aren't."

"I know, but he didn't deserve to-"

"Yes, he did. He tried to kill Sayaka and I. He successfully killed Toko and forced me to work with him or else he'd do the same thing to me." Hisato cut her off tiredly. "He's dangerous. We should be glad we got rid of someone who played Monokuma's game seriously."

"It wasn't his fault though! Maizono-chan tried to kill him first!"

"Pinning the blame on someone else doesn't really make a difference Hina." Hisato covered his ears with his pillow. "What's done is done. We'll do our best to prevent any more people from dying. So please do go to sleep."

At first, Hisato thought his words calmed down the brunette. But that belief went out the window when he heard Hina begin to weep.

_'God dammit. Why me?' _Hisato did his best to cancel out the noise, not wanting any part in consoling Hina.

Hina sniffled, "Kuwata... Fukawa-chan" She continued to utter their names, mourning their loss.

Deep down, Hisato started to enjoy hearing her cry. He unconsciously removed the pillow from his ears and relaxed.

_'Ahaha~ Do you hear them Sato-chan? The sounds of sweet, blissful despair. Oh... how I love it.' _A voice in his head said, sounding an awful lot like Junko.

_'Despair? Sounds more like grief if you ask me.' _Hisato thought about the word. Despair. He hadn't quite used the word a lot. He hadn't heard it as much either, though Monokuma has said it often.

_'Despair... despair... it has a nice ring to it.'_ Hisato smiled.

_'Despair.'_

Oddly enough, Hina's crying helped him go to sleep. He didn't question it, not when it felt so right. Even remembering the cries of Leon during his execution brought a wide smile to his face.

He felt proud that he had almost gotten away with convincing everyone that Sayaka was the killer. Most of his classmates were like sheep, following whatever the ringleader says and does.

Kyoko and Makoto were smart enough to crack down on the truth and for that he applauded them. He was angry at himself for being seen as a fool for not reading the rules carefully. He was the Ultimate fucking Schemer for crying out loud. How did he fail to notice this rule?

Wait, that's right. He did it on purpose. He read over the rules several times. Of course, he knew about rule number three. What kind of idiot would believe he simply misread it?

Everyone did apparently. Hisato didn't want to have done it, but it was essential that he became involved. The reason? Well, that's a story for another time.

Even he had his priorities, something that he confessed to Sayaka. The poor girl was too immersed in her emotions to understand what he said.

Regardless, based on that trial alone he knew who to watch out for. On the top of his list were Makoto and Kyoko. Those two carried the entire trial. His next two were Byakuya and Celeste. Although they didn't contribute as much as the two previously mentioned, they each had their own strengths.

Byakuya didn't have much to contribute, but that was only because he was distracted by something else. Whatever it is, it must be more important to the Ultimate Affluent Progeny than the trial.

Hisato had no doubt that Byakuya could've solved the trial all on his own if he was focused on it.

As for Celeste, he flat out didn't trust her. There was something she was hiding, and Hisato didn't have any intention of finding out. He feared Celeste would do something drastic.

_'So stressful. So many people to look out for.' _Hisato began to feel himself pleasantly drift into a peaceful slumber.

_'I just have to keep moving and survive this hell hole._'

* * *

**Aoi Asahina (Alive)**

**Mondo Owada (Alive)**

**Hisato Sasaki (Alive)**

**Kyoko Kirigiri (Alive)**

**Sakura Ogami (Alive)**

**Junko Enoshima (Alive)**

**Kiyotaka Ishimaru (Alive)**

**Sayaka Maizono (Alive)**

**Makoto Naegi (Alive)**

**Hifumi Yamada (Alive)**

**Toko Fukawa (Deceased)**

**Leon Kuwata (Deceased)**

**Celestia Ludenberg (Alive)**

**Byakuya Togami (Alive)**

**Chihiro Fujisaki (Alive)**

**Yasuhiro Hagakure (Alive)**

**Surviving Members: Fourteen Remaining**

* * *

**Author's Note: I do plan on creating some of my own motives, so it won't be all copy and pasted from the game. Just to make it interesting. Originally I planned to have Leon saved but it's necessary for people to die whether I like it or not. Saving too much won't make it as dangerous as the killing game is.**


	6. Ch 2: Case of Mistaken Identity I

Hisato got up before the morning announcements and left Hina's room. He left a little note for her and plastered it on her forehead.

He didn't worry about walking during nighttime. Hisato doubted anyone would try something after they came back from a thrilling trial. It'd be too soon. No one gave off a dangerous vibe… well except for Celeste when she gets upset.

Thankfully, Toko's body was no longer inside his room. Everything was cleaned and Monokuma even tidied up his room.

_'I should be lucky that bear considers me his favorite student. I better be careful and not screw things up with him.' _He still didn't comprehend why exactly Monokuma treated him differently, though he wasn't going to complain.

Hisato patiently waited until Monokuma's morning announcement to come on. He couldn't take a shower until nighttime ended.

His shower was brief. He dressed up in his normal clothing, intentionally leaving his grey blazer jacket open. He chose to loosen his tie, as well as putting his grey beanie on his head.

Hisato liked his style of clothing. In his mind, it told people that he was too immersed in his work to care about how his formal attire looked.

With that, he set off to the cafeteria.

He hadn't gone to the morning meetings at first, but he quite enjoyed eating with the company around.

Much to Hisato's surprise, he was the first one to arrive. He followed his usual routine, typically involving asking Monokuma for food.

"Monokuma!"

Monokuma landed on the table he was sitting at, having fallen from the ceiling.

"You know Sato-chan, treating your principal like your personal servant isn't beary nice." Monokuma turned his back on Hisato, haughtily raising his head high.

"Oh…" Hisato thought ahead of this. "I guess the rumors are true."

Monokuma quickly turned around, curious.

"Rumors? What rumors?" Monokuma asked curiously.

Hisato rubbed the back of his head and glanced sideways. "That you're a lame principal. I guess the rumors were true..." He sighed dramatically.

Monokuma's rage intensified. "Swaaaa? Who's been spreading these false rumors?! Gimme a name and I'll put them in the guillotine!"

"A guillotine? Mannnn, you really are lame," Hisato yawned. Monokuma's anger shifted into sadness. He burst into tears.

"Sato-chan doesn't love me anymore! All the times we made love didn't mean anything to you?!"

"The hell are you on about?!" Hisato pushed Monokuma away from his advances. He made sure to not push him too hard so he wouldn't violate the rules.

"Not even sexual talk is exciting enough to satisfy you hormonal teens? Geez. This generation." Monokuma pulled out a tasty muffin and a milk carton from behind his back. "I guess you can have these old things."

"Woah! That's definitely cool of you!" Hisato snatched the items from his paws. He began to devour the muffin until he saw that Monokuma still stood on top of the table. "Yes?" He asked, gulping down some of his muffin bits.

"I've been meaning to have a one on one conversation with my favorite student." Monokuma laid on his stomach and rested his elbows on the table. His bare feet danced in the air. "Tell me, how did you like Leon's execution? I hope it was exciting enough for you, Sato-chan!"

Hisato thought about the odd question and shrugged.

"Meh. I didn't really want anyone to die but since it was Leon, I don't really mind. Ironic how he died getting beaten with all those baseballs." He took a sip of his milk before continuing. "If it's gonna be like that for every execution, it only makes me wonder what mine would be… I mean, what type of theme is fit for a schemer?"

He poured his thoughts aloud for the principal to listen. Monokuma couldn't be any more glad to hear Hisato's response.

"Puhuhu! It makes my chest warm hearing that you liked the execution." Monokuma put one paw on his chest and raised his other paw in the air. "As my duties as principal, I will hereby guarantee to come up with a brilliant execution for you, Sato-chan!"

Hisato reeled his head back, almost spitting out his milk. "No no no no! I was merely curious, I didn't ask for an elaborate execution for me! If I did have to die, I'd like it quick!" He averted his eyes from Monokuma's piercing glare. "B-besides, you remember our deal. It's time you fulfill your end of the bargain."

"Ah yes, our deal." Monokuma's face darkened. "You didn't fulfill anything! Where do you get off thinking I owe you anything now!?"

Hisato smirked, "No, no, no. The requirements stated that I get involved in the first murder. And I did, I made myself an accomplice and bullshitted everyone into thinking I didn't understand the third rule. You never said I had to kill."

Hisato proudly said to the shaking Monokuma. When Monokuma offered him the deal, he immediately accepted it. He caught the loophole in a flash.

His intentions with Sayaka were pure. What he told everyone back at the trial was true. He did really plan to calm down the crazy girl. But then Leon got in the way so he had to revise his plan during the middle of his brawl against him.

He wasn't the biggest fan of Leon. He was being a pain in the ass. Tricking him had been easy. The guy was as gullible as they come. He feigned the victim type and acted like Leon was the one in control.

As for Toko, he didn't have any grudges towards her. It really was just a mere coincidence that her room happened to be the first one.

_'May she rest in peace.'_ Hisato thought somberly.

"Finding a loophole from your principal's deal? You really are the Ultimate Schemer," Monokuma sneered, unhappy with the outcome. "I've got to stop being so careless around you Sato-chan, no matter how much I love you! I suppose you did fulfill your deal… so fine! You earned it!"

Hisato released a relieved sigh. He honestly didn't expect Monokuma to accept being tricked so easily. Now that he got what he wanted, Hisato's face hardened.

"When the time comes, you better keep your end of the deal. I'm done with you now bear. Trust me, I will bring you to justice. You're going to regret kidnapping me and forcing me to play this stupid game. Don't forget that."

Monokuma didn't look pleased at all. He stomped on Hisato's milk carton, spilling the remaining contents all over the table.

"We'll see about that… we will definitely see about that…" Monokuma's stormed off without another word.

Hisato looked at the spill on the table and groaned. He grumbled some unpleasant curses while he finished up his muffin.

Just then, some students started to arrive. These included Hina, Sakura, and Taka.

"I see you've already fixed yourself breakfast, but you've made a mess! I sincerely hope you plan on cleaning that up!" Taka barked, behaving like his normal bossy self again.

"Yeah yeah. I'll do it after I'm done eating."

"Good." Taka nodded approvingly. "It's good that your punctuality is becoming better." He sat down at his usual seat, Hina and Sakura doing the same.

"So? What happened? Was your room fixed up as Monokuma said?" Taka asked.

"Hm?" Hisato noticed Hina's head lower in embarrassment. "Oh yeah. Nice and clean, good as new. All that jazz."

"Haha! Nice to hear!" Taka smiled, slightly raising his arms up. "I imagine it would be pretty hard to sleep with a rotting corpse in the middle of your room!"

Silence.

"Dude. That's fucked up man."

Ignoring Hisato's remark, Sakura gave her input. "It must be tough staying there, knowing what happened. Why don't you just stay at a friend's room?"

"Yeah… I guess. But I don't want to intrude," Hisato absentmindedly replied. He stood up and went to the kitchen to gather some cleaning supplies.

When he returned, Byakuya and Mondo were sitting in their respective spots.

"Isn't there something you'd like to say to Sasaki-kun?" Taka glanced at Mondo, seemingly remembering how yesterday went.

"There's nothing I've got to say! Who the hell do you think you are pressuring me to apologize?!" Mondo snarled. He and Taka butted heads, once again starting to argue.

"One morning of peace… it's practically too much to ask for," Byakuya sighed, tuning the arguing students out.

Hisato finished up cleaning the spill and took his seat. There wasn't much to do until his friends arrived so he waited for them.

"So everyone…" Hisato decided to make small talk with the few already here. "I'd like to apologize for my participation in Toko's murder. I simply had no other choice. Leon would've killed me too had I not accepted to help," He apologized for his actions. He felt it was necessary to do so.

"It's fine. You were only trying to make things better." Sakura didn't blame him for what happened. He was only trying to settle things between himself and Sayaka. Plus, he couldn't fight back due to his injury. "Don't think we won't forget that you almost got us killed. We have Togami to thank for that."

Byakuya heard his name and felt the need to comment on it.

"Please. It would've been brought up sooner. I doubt I was the only one who understood the rule." Byakuya left it at that, minding his own business once more.

Chihiro and Hiro were the next to walk in. Chihiro's face brightened at seeing Hisato present.

"Sasaki-sama!" She quickly took the seat to the left of him.

_'Geez. I wish she can drop the -sama.'_ Hisato thought to himself. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything significant enough that'd make Chihiro consider him superior.

"Heya programmer. How are you holding up?"

The smile left Chihiro's face. Her face scrunched up sadly as she tried to not burst out in tears.

"I-I…"

Hisato silenced her by rubbing her head. "It's fine that you're still upset about it. We can hang out later today if you want," He offered in an effort to cheer her up.

Chihiro only nodded, so Hisato assumed it was a yes.

Another person walked in. Everyone saw who it was and stiffened in fright. They dared not to look at her.

Sayaka entered the cafeteria. She noticed the number of uncomfortable faces and sighed sadly. Taking the hint, Sayaka went to open the door again to leave.

"Yo! Saya-chan, where are you going? Come sit with us!" Hisato called out to her, pointing at the seat to the right of him. "Don't miss out on breakfast at least!"

"Sasaki-sama…" Chihiro tugged his arm. She wore a worried expression.

"Don't sweat about it Chihiro. Just remember what I told you after the trial," Hisato reminded her, grinning softly. It slightly eased her nerves, but she still didn't feel quite comfortable with Sayaka sitting with them.

Sayaka hesitated, wondering if she should accept his offer when everyone else clearly didn't want her around.

She reluctantly decided to sit beside him, cringing at the stares she was receiving.

"Can we get another muffin for the Ultimate Pop Sensation?" Hisato said to no one in particular. A second later, a muffin was flung directly towards his head. "Gah! You little…"

Hisato picked the muffin up from his lap, rubbing the area where the muffin hit him.

"Here. Do you like muffins?" Sayaka slowly took the muffin from his hands and bit it.

"Um… Sasaki-kun? Didn't she try to kill you?" Taka gulped, afraid of the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

"Yeah? And?" Hisato quirked an eyebrow. "I respect her plan. I mean, it takes a lot of commitment to manipulate someone to trust you enough to swap rooms. Then you pin the murder on them. Any simple-minded dolt would've fallen for the trap, and let me tell you there's a lot of them here."

"I-I didn't manipulate-"

Hisato cut off Sayaka's protest.

"Please sweetheart. It's manipulation whether you believe it or not." He didn't buy her excuses. She showed her true colors during the trial. "And that's okay. That just means Monokuma's little motives can cause one of us to commit murder. It's a vital piece of information to know."

"How is manipulating one of the nicest people here okay?" Hiro asked, disbelief written on his face.

"You and I have different mindsets. I can't help but praise such a well thought out plan that worked," Hisato said, not doing anything to help his case.

Sakura folded her arms. "By that logic, aren't you doing the same thing? You want the strength in numbers, don't you?"

"Aww. You're hurting my feelings Sakura. Do I look like the type of person to do that?"

"You are _the_ _Ultimate __Schemer."_

"Sure. Let's keep judging me based on my title!" Hisato pouted, tugging the edges of his gray beanie to cover his eyes.

"Come on, Sakura-chan! You should be a little nicer," Hina told her friend. "Hisato-san just wants to make friends! I think that's wonderful!"

"Hmph." Sakura didn't say anything else on the matter. Though, her words did unsettle Sayaka. Could Hisato be doing this for his own gain? Especially when she was acting so vulnerable.

A bunch of more students came strolling in following the little argument. That included Hifumi, Celeste, and Junko.

Junko scowled when she spotted Sayaka sitting where she usually sat.

"Hey! You're in my seat!" Junko wasn't going to let her sit in her seat.

"H-huh? Oh… I'm sorry…" Sayaka bit her lip. She bowed her head apologetically and stood up from her seat. Junko smirked smugly at how submissive she acted.

Hisato frowned. He didn't stop Sayaka from switching her seat, focusing more on Junko.

"You didn't have to be so rude to her," Hisato said, making it clear that he disapproved of Junko's attitude. "It's just a seat."

"Who cares? No one likes her anyway." Junko made sure that Sayaka heard her loud and clear. The blue-haired girl lowered her head so that her hair covered her face.

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine?" Hisato muttered, Junko shooting him a mean glare. "Don't give me that. You're supposed to be the Ultimate Fashionista."

When Hisato thought about it, Junko never exhibited any sort of traits related to her talent. Sure she talked like a fashionista but she hasn't truly shown her abilities. Then he recalled their first day when he exposed her act and she dropped it.

Was she actually the Ultimate Fashionista?

"Um… Mr. Sasaki." Hifumi broke him out of his thoughts. He pointed at where Celeste sat. Like Byakuya, she chose to sit separately from the rest. "Miss Ludenberg requires your assistance."

_'Aw crap. I don't want to talk to Celeste.'_

He fidgeted for a second, before eventually turning his chair over to her direction.

"What do you need? If you wanted plans on killing someone you'd have to ask me in private," He joked. Not everyone found his dark sense of humor amusing.

"I'll keep that in mind." Much to his discomfort, Celeste added into his joke with one of her own. He wasn't sure if she was serious or not. "Please make me some more royal milk tea. Last time was barely sufficient. Do try your best on this one."

_'The hell?'_ Hisato turned his chair right back around and stayed put.

Although he was wary of Celeste, that doesn't mean he was going to let her boss him around.

"I'm not your damn servant." That ounce of fear led him to choose his next words carefully. "So, um… Hifumi! Go get her some milk tea or whatever it is."

"Hehe…" Hifumi chuckled. He was in his own fantasy world. "Whaaaaaat? Hold on! I'm no one's servant either!"

Hifumi protested. He dreamed of one day owning pretty 2-D girl servants, not being one himself!

Hisato twiddled his fingers, feigning a hurt expression.

"B-but Hifumi, my dominant arm still hurts. Are you really going to risk me accidentally burning myself?"

"Well… when you put it like that." Hifumi felt guilty now that Hisato explained it to him. "Yes! I'll fix up your milk tea right away madame!" He rushed inside the kitchen.

"Oh, the irony," Celeste giggled. Hisato rolled his eyes, pretending that he didn't hear her side comment.

Around that moment, Kyoko came in. This left Makoto as the only person who has yet to show up.

"Kirigiri is here. Damn that Makoto, always showing up when he feels like it."

"How come you only call her by her surname?" Junko asked him, wondering this for quite a while.

Kyoko showed little interest in the discussion about her.

"Because she's a Kirigiri! Why else?" Hisato answered like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Huh?" Hiro blinked. "Do you know her family or something?"

"Of course I do. I knew her father. Weird man if you ask me. Actually, it didn't cross my mind that he was your dad until the second day here."

He remembered that he asked Chihiro what her name was because they never properly met. Hisato recognized the Kirigiri name and thought of Jin Kirigiri.

"So you two knew each other before we came here?" Chihiro inquired curiously.

Hisato shook his head. "Nah. I think he mentioned something about his daughter being away. I dunno, you should know about it. It's not my problem," He said to Kyoko, who was now listening in to the conversation.

"What could he possibly want with you?" The venom in her voice made it apparent that she didn't like the subject.

A shadow covered the top portion of Hisato's face. "Oh, such little details don't matter. Let's just say I needed a favor from someone of his expertise and leave it at that."

This created a small argument between the two students. Hisato was dodging all her questions, which annoyed the usually stoic lavender-haired girl.

Their argument distracted the students from seeing Hifumi reappear. He walked out of the kitchen carrying a small plate with a steaming cup of tea on top.

"Here you are Miss Ludenberg. One nice beverage coming right up!" Hifumi placed the tray on the table, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Hmhmhm! Finally!" A small smile played across her lips as she held the teacup delicately in her hands.

However, she froze.

"Wait…" Celeste cocked her head to the side, and then-

**Crash!**

Celeste threw the cup as hard as she could at the wall.

That sound of something breaking startled nearly everyone present. All eyes were now on Celeste and Hifumi.

"What the-?!" Hifumi gasped. "H-hey! What are you doing, my little white rabbit?!"

_'My little white rabbit?'_ Hisato snickered at the pet name. Why Hifumi chose Celeste of all people to idolize was beyond him.

"I _hate_ this type of tea!" Celeste emphasized the hate part, sending chills down Hifumi's spine.

"U-umm… I don't understand…" Hifumi wanted to know what he did so he wouldn't upset her again.

"Yes, a big oaf such as yourself wouldn't understand. I cannot acknowledge any milk tea that does not add milk during the brewing process."

Hifumi cowered back some, feeling the atmosphere around Celeste grow cold.

"Umm… I went to all that trouble to make you milk tea… and you want me to go farther?" Hifumi knew it wasn't much of a hassle to do this extra step, but it takes a while longer and he didn't have the patience for something as simple as brewing tea.

"That's the thing. I wanted Sasaki-kun to do it. I should've known a pig couldn't prepare my tea."

"B-but… my little white rabbit!" Hifumi tried to make peace with her. But that's when she snapped.

"Get away from my face, swine!" She snapped. She raised her metal accessorized finger, her right eye twitching violently.

_'Ah, there's the Celeste I know.' _Hisato sweatdropped.

"Whaaaaat?!" Hifumi squealed like a pig. "O-okay! Your little piggy will leave!" He rushed back to his original seat, shaken up.

"I'm getting rather parched now. Sasaki-kun! Get in the kitchen now!" Celeste demanded.

Hisato wasn't going to let everyone see him act like a coward. Hifumi had done the honors of presenting himself as a submissive servant.

Despite his mind telling him not to argue against Celeste, his lips had a mind of their own.

"Get it yourself, pale freak!" As soon as those words left his mouth, Hisato smacked his hands against his lips. His eyes shot up when Celeste abruptly stood up, knocking her chair back.

"You truly are bold Sasaki-kun. Speaking such uncouth language to me. Is it boldness? Or is it just plain stupidity?"

"Aw... come on. It's just tea. Y-you don't have to be so mad," Hisato said nervously.

"Mad? I'm not mad. I'm simply asking you to make me some milk tea." Celeste rested her hands on her hips. "I'm getting more parched the longer we speak, so do be a dear and don't make me ask again."

"Dude. Just make her the s-stupid tea!" Hiro stuttered, just as creeped out as everyone else.

"F-fine! Sh-shit!" Hisato sped towards the kitchen, not wanting to look Celeste in the eye anymore.

The students sat there in a state of bewilderment, wondering what the hell just happened.

"Hmhm." Celeste giggled, reverting back to her usual self. "I do so love coercion."

"You were like a totally different person just now," Hina said, frightened by her change in attitude.

"Yeah, shit. You really went psycho there," Mondo agreed, equally unnerved. "Do you think it's a good idea to piss him off? He can pull off something crazy if he wanted to."

Hisato had allies, a scary amount of them. With his talent added to the mix, Mondo didn't think it was wise to rile him up, contrary to how he treated Hisato before the end of the first trial.

He may hate the guy, but he wasn't going to let that get him killed.

"Undoubtedly so." Celeste didn't openly admit that she recognized Hisato's skills as a problem. "Life is simply boring without taking risks."

"Sure, but your life is at stake," Sakura reminded her.

"Then it's a high stakes gamble. I've been craving such risks."

"It's a stupid risk if you ask me," Junko grumbled under her breath. Revealing that was no fun at all. Now if Celeste turned up dead, everyone would consider Hisato the top suspect.

She was in a bad mood. Learning that Hisato still kept memories of a certain student's father wasn't a part of the plan at all. It seemed that they should've gone farther in erasing his memories.

Jin Kirigiri and Hisato must have acquainted each other before he even got scouted. It explains why Makoto and Sayaka still remember each other.

She needed to prevent him from speaking of Jin again.

The doors of the cafeteria opened, revealing the last student, Makoto Naegi. Junko immediately shifted her eyes to him.

Like always, Taka was there to scold the tardy student.

"You sure took your sweet time! I was about to go get you and drag you back here!"

Makoto scratched his face and mumbled out a small apology. He scanned the cafeteria until his eyes landed on Junko, who was staring right back at him.

She scoffed and looked in a different direction. Makoto didn't really understand what that was all about. He tiredly grabbed a seat and sat with the rest of his classmates.

No one said a thing. Yesterday's events were still fresh on their mind. The seat where Leon sat remained empty. Toko stood up every morning so there wasn't a seat that belonged to her.

Two of their good friends were dead. They realized the harsh reality that they were forced to be in. For now, they could breathe safely. No one had any intention of committing murder right after one just happened.

Yet.

Being the peppy girl that she is, Hina was displeased to see all the glum faces. So she decided to brighten the gloomy atmosphere.

"Hey, cheer up guys! Getting depressed isn't gonna help anything, right? If we all work together, I'm sure we'll find a way out of here!" She encouraged everyone to smile along with her. "So everyone, just try to cheer up and get back on track!"

Nearly all the students didn't have the heart to tell her that her little motivation speech had no effect on them. They tried their best to find a way out and it only leads to dead ends and friends being killed.

Byakuya however, didn't apply as one of them.

"Is that honestly supposed to make us feel better?"

Hina wasn't expecting someone to respond negatively. "Huh?"

Byakuya chuckled, amused. Hina was as dense as they could come. "We were already _'working together'_ and yet someone was still murdered. Anyone could betray us at this point. Now that it's happened once, it's a question of when, not if, the next one will take place."

A good number of the students agreed with his words, most notably Mondo.

"Yeah! Hey, isn't it because Maizono made the first move?" Mondo sent a nasty glare at Sayaka's direction.

Without having Hisato to testify for her, Sayaka was practically a sitting duck.

Hina frowned. "B-but... if we work together against the mastermind, nobody will have any reason to do something like that!" She argued.

Byakuya sighed in annoyance, "Keep telling yourself that. I'll be over here in the real world." He gestured at himself and his table away from the rest. "Working together, fighting the common enemy. Like it or not, it's not that simple."

Hifumi was confused. "What do you mean?"

Luckily for Byakuya, Celeste answered the question, saving him from his growing headache.

"The mastermind seems to be much more powerful than we ever suspected. They took over Hope's Peak, which was supposed to be well defended, and modified it to fit their desires. They created Monokuma, which seems to be incredibly advanced, and they're providing for our every need. And the cherry on top is the execution we witnessed."

Celeste continued her explanation, appearing more unsettled as she went on.

"Everything has been planned down to the last excruciating detail. This is not the work of your everyday psychopath. Defying them may be too great a risk." A risk that even Celeste hesitated to take meant that it was far greater than anyone could imagine.

"Then… what are we supposed to do?" Sakura asked, disliking the fact that they were helpless.

Taka thought of an idea. "It appears that we are the only people in this school. The mastermind could be one of us…" A haunting, yet likely possible prediction.

"Ain't that crazy bear all buddy-buddy with Sasaki?" Mondo pursed his lips suspiciously.

"He calls him his favorite student if I recall," Hina said in a wondering tone.

"I'm guessing the title: The Ultimate Schemer are red flags we should've noticed before," Hiro chuckled awkwardly.

"Let's not jump into any conclusions just yet." Taka stopped the comments. "It was merely an idea. There could very well be someone in the blocked-off areas operating Principal Monokuma."

Like as if he was summoned, Hisato returned. He carried the tray and left it on the small table Celeste sat at.

"You're fucking welcome," Hisato cursed, unhappy with the way things turned out. Celeste only giggled, further adding to his humiliation.

She gently lifted the teacup and took a small sip of her royal milk tea. Celeste sighed contentedly, enjoying the savory taste.

"Much better. At least someone knows the correct way of brewing milk tea."

"Yeah, yeah." Hisato returned to his seat and was confused by all the stares he was receiving. "The hell are you looking at? Take a picture while you're at it."

It was Junko who questioned his relationship with Monokuma. She thought it'd be funny.

"Are you and Monokuma… like friends?" She questioned.

Hisato face scrunched up, even more perplexed. "What? Of course not! I already told you guys what my game plan is!" He glanced at her, Hifumi, Chihiro, and Hina. "Do you really think I'd work with Monobear?"

"Oh…" Hina played with her ponytail, smiling awkwardly. "I forgot."

"Shocking." Celeste's comment earned a pout from Hina. The mastermind subject was soon passed on. Hisato's answer satisfied the majority of them.

"So… Sasaki-"

"Hey, Sato-kun!" Makoto inadvertently interrupted Kyoko. "Did you sleep alright? I'm sorry that I couldn't-"

"Yeah! Perfect! No need to worry about it!" It was Hisato's turn to cut him off. His head tilted towards Taka, and Makoto understood why.

"Right… is your shoulder feeling better?"

"Hell no." Hisato shook his head. "My shoulder still feels like someone's stabbing it. It boggles my mind that the damn infirmary is locked. I should be fine, but you know, it'll be a hassle with Monokuma plotting more motives."

"Ah, well that's good to hear at least." Makoto nodded.

"What were you guys talking about? Damn, the mood is depressing since I left." Hisato noticed the change in everyone's faces.

"If you must know, we were discussing our survival," Byakuya replied, wanting to get his thoughts out. "Anyone who truly does want to escape will just have to follow the rules. In which case, the only option is to deceive those around you, and win the game."

"N-no…" Chihiro's small voice was heard following the silence after Byakuya gave them the ugly truth.

"No what?"

Chihiro opened her large eyes, exposing the tears welling up in her eyes. Her face flushed red. "I don't want to live… if it means killing someone else to do it. I don't want to kill anyone else!"

Hiro didn't like what she was implying. "Anyone… else? What do you mean?"

The tears didn't stop leaking from Chihiro's face.

"Kuwata-kun died because we all voted for him, right? It's no different from us killing ourselves!"

"Not necessarily," Hisato disagreed. "That maniac had two attempted murders and an actual murder on his record. I for one am glad he's gone. Good riddance!"

"H-how can you say that?" Chihiro squeaked.

Hisato leaned forward and stared at her dead in the eye. Chihiro's eyes shrunk, deathly terrified of his appearance.

"Tell me this, if I had been killed that fateful night—which could very well have happened—the way you're speaking, you up sound like you would've let my killer run free just so no one else would die. Of course, you know what that means. Everyone but the killer will die. And it'll be all your fault just because you didn't want one… one single person dead opposed to everyone else dying. Makes you feel selfish, doesn't it?"

Chihiro stared at him, frozen. The tears in her eyes stopped dripping too. Hisato thought inflicting fear would've set her straight on what her priorities should be.

He was wrong. He only made it worse.

Chihiro ran out of the cafeteria bawling her eyes out. Hisato's snapped out of his intimidating trance and groaned.

"Why must she keep doing this?" Hisato knew it was his fault for making her run away. The least he could do is comfort her. With that in mind, he left the cafeteria too.

"At least someone understands." Byakuya rolled his eyes, bored of the company. He didn't have much of a choice. It was either this or be cooped up in his room.

**Ding! Dong! Bing! Bong!**

_"Mandatory meeting! Everyone is to report to the Gym at once! Failure to do so will result in punishment! Puhuhu!"_

The brief announcement ended. Everyone looked at each other, wondering what Monokuma's had in store for them now.

* * *

Upon their arrival, they could see Monokuma up on the stage.

"Good morning students! Get your butts over here! We'll be conducting morning exercises today!" Monokuma announced, disappointing many of the students.

"Yes!" Taka for one was pumped for this. It has certainly been a while since he last properly exercised.

"Exercise…?" Hifumi moaned, clearly disgusted.

The students got closer to the stage as Monokuma requested. Taka stood at the very front.

"Okay! Lift your arms up, and down!" Monokuma got into position, exercising with his students. "One! Two! Three! Four!"

"One! Two! Three! Four!" Taka repeated everything Monokuma did.

Everyone stared at the Ultimate Moral Compass in disbelief. No one but Taka did the morning exercises.

"Now reach waaay up!" Monokuma raised his paws high in the air, Taka mimicking his motions. "...and bend waaay down! Tighten those muscles! Let's add a little strength, a little speed to these young bodies of yours!"

With Monokuma distracted, he failed to notice Hisato and Chihiro walk in late.

"Huh? What the hell are they doing?" Hisato muttered, unhappy with the current situation. Chihiro clenched the back of his shirt, hiding.

He did manage to calm down the meek girl. However, a new problem arose. Now she was clinging onto him like a child to their mother… or father in his case.

It wasn't causing any major problems as of now, but if it does come to that point he'd have to force Chihiro to go elsewhere.

Hisato went to the back of the group. He paid more attention to the area where the secret bunker was.

_'I don't think I can ever retrieve anything out of there during the day. Perhaps a night run should make things less difficult.'_

But then he remembered the second school rule. Some areas will be blocked off. Knowing Monokuma, the gymnasium would be the obvious choice as he holds all the meetings there. After the disaster from the first trial, Hisato studied the rules to his maximum potential.

_'I need some kind of distraction… but from where?'_

"Ahh. Doesn't that feel great?" Monokuma panted, finishing the morning exercises. "Being stuck inside like this, you gotta make sure to stay healthy!"

"You're the one keeping us stuck inside!" Junko fired back.

"Don't sweat the small stuff. That's my motto." Monokuma giggled. "Whoa! I sounded pretty cool just now, don'tcha think Sato-chan?"

"What?" Hisato was brought back to reality. "Why the hell are you asking me for?"

Monokuma dodged his question. "Did you fall in love with me? Am I just to die for? Am I just to die in writhing agony for?" The bear hopped off the stage and edged closer to the Ultimate Schemer.

"Hell no!" Hisato stepped back, Chihiro doing so too.

"Sato-chan… I keep pouring my heart to you and this is how you treat me?" Monokuma teared up.

"I don't want your heart! Why don't you just mosey on back to the stage and tell us why we're here for."

"You're no fun." Monokuma disappointedly went back up on the stage. "Anyway, every time you overcome a class trial here at Hope's Peak Academy, a whole new world will open up to you!"

"A whole new world…?" Hiro parroted, not seeing what would count as this whole new world that Monokuma spoke of.

Monokuma nodded.

"It'd really suck if you had to live here forever with nothing new to stimulate you. Besides, I know how you kids get these days with your ADD and ADHD. I gotta keep you motivated. So go ahead, look around all you want. Enjoy the brave new post-trial world till you explode!"

That was the end of his announcement. Monokuma disappeared out of sight, leaving the students more confused than when he'd shown up.

Different thoughts circled around the students' minds as they interpreted what Monokuma meant.

"Is he talking about…" Hina's face brightened. "...a way to get outside!"

"That seems unlikely," Celeste said in disagreement.

"I thought it was pretty obvious what Monokuma meant." Hisato smacked Chihiro's hand off his back before facing his classmates. "What's the main area blocked off? The stairwell. Frankly, I don't see why he considers it a whole new world."

That was the only logical solution to him. Based on what he heard from his friends, the whole first floor has been checked thoroughly. What else could there possibly be on the first floor?

Hisato was curious to find out what the next floor had to offer. Perhaps there'll be an area he could fully enjoy himself in.

"But it's also of utmost importance to double-check the areas we already know about, just in case!" Taka added in, knowing that Hisato was most likely right with his theory.

"Sure. You go do that. Meanwhile, I'll actually explore the new area." Hisato exited the gymnasium with Chihiro in tow.

"Oh man. I hope there's some good stuff on the second floor. What do you hope to find?" Hisato asked his companion.

Chihiro thought about it as she lightly held onto his shirt. "I don't really know… m-maybe a place where I can use a computer. L-like a library!"

"A library, huh?" Hisato never really thought about the school having a library. Then again, it'd be weird if they didn't. "I can catch up on some good storiesb but knowing Monokuma, it'll probably be on murders."

The two reached the once blocked stairwell. The gate was no longer there, granting them access to the next floor.

But before they could step foot, a voice hollered to them.

"Hey guys, wait up!" Junko came running down the hall to them. She came alone.

"Oh, what's up?" Hisato greeted her. Chihiro stopped hiding behind Hisato, glad to see a familiar face. "Is Hifumi coming?"

He noticed the Ultimate Fanfic Creator absent.

"He said he'd catch up. I ran all the way here from the gym. You know how he hates running." Junko smiled a toothy smile, making a peace sign.

"I guess you're right," He chuckled. "We were just about to head on up."

"Count me in, Sato-chan."

The three of them ascended the flight of stairs.

Hisato had something on his mind concerning Junko.

"Why do you keep calling me that? You've been calling me that since day one and I fucking hate that name," He spat out, repelled of the given name.

He made it painfully obvious that he despised the name. Yet, she continued to call him that.

"Why not? You let Fujisaki there call you Sasaki-sama," She countered.

Hisato was stunned for a couple of seconds. He stopped climbing the stairs. He bashfully looked away, much to Junko's surprise.

"That's different," Junko smirked slyly, reading the embarrassment on his face.

"Oh, I get it." Chihiro puzzled in the pieces together. "You don't like being called Sato…" Immediately after she said that she saw his fists tighten.

"Heh. Right on the ball Chihiro. I didn't expect anything less."

All three of them stopped going up the stairs.

"Is that it? I only call you that because we have two other people whose names start with H-I. And... you know _chan_ sounds cuter. D-did something happen?" She asked softly.

Junko figured he'd tell them what happened. In the past, he didn't take long to share some of his personal issues. Then again, he was manipulated into gaining someone's trust.

She was also quite curious to learn more about this new Hisato Sasaki.The thing about Jin Kirigiri surprised her the most. Hisato never mentioned meeting Jin prior to his arrival at Hope's Peak Academy.

_'I guess it wouldn't hurt. I'll just keep it brief and as vague as I can. I can't tell them the whole truth yet.' _Hisato trusted his two companions enough to tell them this. He trusted Hifumi too but he wasn't here right now, and to some extent, he trusted Makoto the most outside his circle of friends.

"I might as well. In middle school, there was this person I used to hang around with that called me… _Sato-chan_. We were good friends. But then, I guess they didn't really like my mindset later on. I kept expressing my talent more. I did reckless things and that sorta pushed them out."

Hisato glanced at the two, smiling sadly.

"Being known as the Ultimate Schemer, it just sounds sketchy as hell. Even the people here are judging me because of my talent. Every time that happens, it reminds me of… _her_,_"_ He sighed reminiscently. "People hate my talent, but I like it. Sometimes, I can't help but wish I didn't become the Ultimate Schemer."

_'Sato-chan…' _Junko felt a sense of deja vu hit her. Although the mention of this girl was new to her, she recalled having an eerily similar conversation about his talent like this.

"I can't imagine what you went through… your best friend abandoned you…" Chihiro frowned, sympathizing her friend. "B-but you shouldn't think like that! I think your talent is great!"

Hisato gazed at Chihiro in shock. "Wh-what do you mean? A schemer is the definition of a bad guy."

"No, it isn't! You can use your talent for good! I know you can!" Chihiro said a little louder, surprising him even more. "You're a good person. You tried to help Maizono-san that night F-Fukawa-san died and you're helping her now too! If you keep thinking your talent is evil then you'll never realize the good that you can do with your talent!"

_'Whoa...' _Junko was taken aback by Chihiro's words. The small programmer was never the motivator type. She was too soft-spoken. They weren't as good as friends before until now. Could Hisato's friendship actually be having an impact on her personality?

That wasn't good. Neither was the motivational speech. She couldn't let Hisato be swayed in.

"I never really thought about it like that." Junko stood there, watching in shock as a genuine smile graced his lips. "You're a real sweetheart Chihiro." He ruffled her hair around, causing her to sport a faint blush.

"H-hey, wait a minute…" Junko tried to stop this. But by then, the deed was already done.

"When w-we get out of here, we can find your friend and set things right!" Chihiro declared, determined to cheer up her friend after everything he's done for her.

Hisato's smile slowly vanished. "Y-yeah! Sure. It's not possible anymore though," He muttered that last part to himself.

He felt himself and Chihiro grow a little closer that day. He wished he had something to give her in return for her kindness. Chihiro's words opened a new light in his path.

"Do you still care about what I call you?"

Hisato hummed, and then chuckled, "You know what? No. I don't think I mind anymore." He and Chihiro shared a smile.

A sense of dread formed within Junko.

Junko closed her eyes and lowered her head, ashamed of herself.

"I am curious though. Only you and Monokuma have been calling me that." Hisato eyebrows furrowed suspiciously. His suspicion vanished in a flash. "Eh. Must be a coincidence."

The tension on Junko's shoulder disappeared.

"Anyway. We've been standing here for a while. Let's head on up and check the second floor out!"

The three finally arrived on the second floor. Their first stop was the pool. The doors had an anchor design and a nameplate labeled: **Pool.**

"Oh sweet! A pool? That seems fun." Hisato nodded approvingly. "We should all go out for a swim one day."

Unfortunately for him, both of his companions declined the offer.

"N-no thank you."

"Yeah… that's gonna be a hard pass from me."

"You girls aren't any fun." When Hisato opened the door, he took one peek inside and immediately closed it. "There's a freaking gun in there!"

"W-what?!" Chihiro hid back behind Hisato, resuming her meekly behavior.

"Stop being such a baby. You're a man, aren't you?" Junko pushed past the two and entered the door. She was unfazed by the gun on the ceiling.

"See? Nothing is happening. Come in already!" She said impatiently. Hisato and Chihiro hesitantly stepped forward. The gun did its job, intimidating them.

"S-sorry. It's just that after what happened last time with the phone… I get paranoid around these guns," Hisato admitted, showing them one of his weaknesses.

Junko snickered, enjoying every moment of watching him cower in fear. The three examined the room they were currently in.

"There's a room for the boys and one for the girls. I-I guess they're changing rooms or something," Hisato told them. He approached the males' door, gripping the doorknob.

It wouldn't budge.

Frowning, Hisato looked at the machine beside the door. It appeared to be some kind of scanner.

"Hmm." Hisato inspected the strange device. An idea popped into his head. He pulled out e-handbook that he always carried in the inner pocket of his grey blazer.

Hisato swiped his e-handbook at the device and heard an audible click come from the door.

"I'll check out this room and you girls check your own." Hisato saw that the two girls didn't move an inch. "What now?"

Junko shrugged. "I don't carry that ugly thing around me. There's nowhere for me to put it."

As for Chihiro, she appeared more nervous than usual. "I-I… I don't have mine on me either!"

That response got Hisato suspicious.

"What? The Ultimate Programmer didn't bring her e-handbook? Excuse me for my skepticism but I don't believe that at all."

Chihiro flinched. "N-no! It's true! You see… I was just so sad this morning that I forgot to bring it with me. P-please forgive me, Sasaki-sama!" She begged for his forgiveness.

Hisato didn't read too much into her explanation, taking her endless amount of tears into consideration.

"You girls can just wait until I come out then. I doubt Monokuma will allow the girls inside the boys' room and vice-versa."

During his search, there wasn't anything remotely interesting in the locker room. It was filled with a lot of exercise equipment and had a suggestive poster of a woman. He wasn't a gym freak, so he carried no interest in the equipment.

The pool turned out to be an exciting sight to see. It was a enormous size pool and the water looked great for swimming. He made a mental note to visit the pool area in the near future to relax.

He returned back to the pool entrance where Junko and Chihiro waited for him.

"Took you long enough. Did you find anything useful?" Junko asked rudely.

Hisato didn't get irritated over her attitude, already used to it. "Nah. Just some exercise equipment in the locker room. The pool is pretty cool too, so there's that."

Chihiro perked up at the mention of exercise equipment being found in the locker room.

"Maybe I'll give it a try. I'd kind of like to get a little stronger," She admitted shyly.

"Stronger? You're fine the way you are Chihiro. You're like the stereotypical all brain no brawn type of person," Hisato said, unknowingly upsetting her.

"N-no brawn?"

"Yeah. I mean, look at your arms! They're skinny like spaghetti!" Hisato laughed a little. His comment mentally destroyed a small part of her. "But you're a small girl so that's normal. I don't expect to see you lift weights or something. That'd be a sight to behold."

Chihiro looked ready to cry again.

"Anyway, we should continue exploring." Hisato exited the pool entrance first, with Junko trailing behind him.

Chihiro took a few seconds to regain her composure before following them out the door.

The next destination was a classroom. It seemed like it held nothing too important so they left quickly.

The following area excited both Hisato and Chihiro. They found a library. It wasn't just some small room with a couple of bookcases. No, it was a large room that was filled with several bookcases and tables.

"Sweet! There's a library after all!" Hisato headed over to one of the bookshelves and retrieved a random book. "What do we have here… The Car Engine?"

The piece of literature Hisato uncovered was a manual related to a car engine. At this point in his life, learning about a car engine was pretty useless since he could die at any moment.

He put the manual back and picked another random book from the shelf. "How to Get Away with Murder?" Curious, he opened the book.

"Hey! I saw that! Don't read that junk!" Junko exclaimed, having caught Hisato in the act.

"Seriously?" Hisato put that book back as well. He spent the next couple of minutes skimming the titles of the books he found. None of them appeared worthwhile to actually read. To make things worse, most of the books were dusty.

"Aw man. What a huge disappointment. Whole new world my ass." Hisato ultimately found the library to be a total disappointment. Most of the books here weren't interesting enough to catch his eyes. Only a handful of books were worth reading.

The other good aspect of having a library was the peace and silence he'd have in here. It'd be a nice change of pace rather than sitting in his room all day.

"Any luck?" He asked Junko if she caught anything of importance. She shook her head in a bored manner. "Damn. What about you Chihiro?"

Hisato spotted the small girl over by a table. She seemed to be fiddling with a laptop, frustration on her face.

"There's another laptop here? That's certainly convenient." Hisato and Junko approached the struggling girl.

"Yes, but it won't turn on!" Chihiro whined. "I know I can fix it up, b-but I'm scared I'll be caught."

"That's reasonable." Hisato understood her fears. He wouldn't be surprised if Monokuma was listening to their conversation right now.

Being the Ultimate Schemer, he thought of a plan in about a minute. It would require his friends to play along, but he doubted that Chihiro would catch on.

"Look Chihiro. That thing's busted and I doubt you'll be able to fix it. Let's just go and leave it be." He grabbed her arm and forced her up.

"B-but I know I can-"

"Not another peep from you." Hisato dragged her with him.

They exited the library, and Hisato let go of his friend.

"Ow! S-Sasaki-sama… y-you hurt me…" Chihiro whimpered, hugging her arm closely.

"Yeah, so what do you need from us?" Junko asked quietly, surprising Chihiro by how little she cared.

"Sorry, Chihiro. I'm just really paranoid about having Monokuma eavesdrop on us. I swear it's like he watches only me from those stupid cameras," He apologized for his actions. "I know of a way to get that laptop, but we need Hifumi. I'll explain later."

Trusting his word, Chihiro began to cheer up, glad that Hisato knew of a way to get a laptop for her.

"W-what about the place where the other laptop is at?" Chihiro remembered a few days ago when Hisato assigned her to fetch a laptop from the gym and how disappointed he got when she didn't get it.

Junko waited to hear Hisato's response. She fully knew about the secret bunker. It was Hisato's idea in the first place.

According to him, he first built it during the first week of his freshman year at Hope's Peak. It was his secret lair where he did most of his own studies without getting caught by a teacher.

Junko still wondered why it remained untouched. Maybe there was something the Monokuma planned to do with it.

"The chances of being caught are extremely high. There may be a small chance that Monokuma wouldn't care but I don't want to risk it. Until then, I'm putting the secret bunker on hold," Hisato said, firmly deciding not to bother with it.

With that out of the way, the three went on to the last new area. It was another classroom that held no actual importance.

There was a clock, a surveillance camera, and a monitor. All of which isn't all that uncommon.

"We should just chill for a bit. We've explored the entire second floor by now, minus the bathrooms but I doubt it's any different." Hisato sat down at one of the desks.

"Shouldn't we see what the others are up to?" Junko inquired.

Hisato snorted, "Ha! No! I for one could use a break from them. Especially after that thing with Celeste…"

"Oh yeah~" Junko sat down at the desk to the left of him. "Are you scared of her or something?"

Hisato bit his lip, thinking about how to word his response. As he did, Chihiro shakily sat in the desk to the right of Hisato.

"...Celeste is… well…" His cheeks reddened slightly. "Fine. Maybe I am just a tiny bit afraid of her." He heard Junko snicker. "Hey! At least I'm brave enough to admit it! That chick is bad news, I'm telling you."

"Ehehe~ My, oh my! Sato-chan is afraid of a girl? Not so manly now, are you?" Junko giggled, loving every moment of his confession.

Junko found it amusing, but Chihiro took Hisato's words to heart. If he didn't feel comfortable around Celeste, then she should be wary of her too.

"Oh shut up! What about you and your crush on Makoto?!" Hisato blurted out furiously. Junko's laughter came to a sudden halt. "Don't think I don't notice all those glances. Guess he isn't much of a lucky student if he has someone like you crushing on him."

Junko's face turned red, out of embarrassment and anger. "I-I don't like Naegi! He's just a plain ordinary loser! And why are you looking at me for anyway?!"

Hisato chuckled, folding his arms.

"Simple. I'm just doing some observing. It's fine if you like him, really. It's just confusing why you like him in such a short span of time. You're rarely around him as far as I know," He said, letting his thoughts free.

"That's because I don't like him!" Junko repeated.

"You can keep on denying it, it won't change my mind. If you want, I can set up a little session between you two," Hisato teased, embarrassing her even more. "I can actually make it happen. Dude trusts me for some strange reason. I do have to warn you though, there are two other girls that seem interested in him. Heh, Lucky Student indeed."

He thought about Sayaka and Kyoko. Makoto and Sayaka were close before the trial, so it wouldn't surprise him if there was something going on between the two.

With Sayaka pretty much out of the picture now, Hisato noticed Kyoko's interest in Makoto after the trial yesterday. While it may very well be professional, crazier things can happen.

"You're gonna keep this to yourself, right Chihiro?" Hisato turned his attention to the fidgeting girl. He and Junko had a secret exposed, so he expected Chihiro to keep this to herself.

"Y-yes!"

"Good, good." Back during the first day, one of his rules was that no secrets would leave the group. "While we're here, why don't you tell me more about yourself Chihiro. I feel like I hardly know you."

"M-me?" Chihiro gasped lightly.

"Is there another Chihiro in this school?" Hisato joked light-heartedly. "In exchange, I'll tell you something about myself too. Oh, and you can just listen I suppose," He said to Junko.

Junko laid her head on the desk, already bored.

"Now that I think about when I think of programming, it sounds more like a guy thing."

Chihiro was taken aback from his comment. She held her breath, hoping that Hisato wouldn't grow suspicious of her.

"D-does that make me weird then?" She queried anxiously. Hisato was the top person she wished to not know her secret.

"No. It just interests me. Why did you start programming anyway?"

"I-It's nothing special." Chihiro felt comfortable enough to share her past with him. "I've always been kind of frail, ever since I was young, which made it hard to play outside. So I would mess around with the computer we had at home."

Hisato's face softened. "That must have been rough."

"At first it was just a way to kill time, but I ended up really, really enjoying it. My dad's a system engineer, so he does a lot of coding for work. I found one of his incomplete programs and started playing around with them. I added new features and such… and it became the first program I ever wrote."

"What did it do?"

"It was what's known as a question answering system." She went on to explain exactly what it is, "It's a type of program that can parse and understand human language, conversing with the user. Some like that one can even process input from sources other than a keyboard."

Hisato was impressed that she could create something like that at such an early age.

"I gave the program samples of my own voice and talking to it was just the coolest thing!" She said happily.

"You had conversations… with a program?" Hisato attempted to force back his laughter but failed.

Chihiro suddenly started to feel self-conscious. It probably wasn't a good idea to mention that.

"Is it really that funny?" Junko didn't find it as entertaining as Hisato did.

"N-no! I don't mean it in a bad way." Hisato calmed down, grinning at Chihiro. "I think it's cute picturing a young Chihiro talking to a program."

Chihiro's cheeks began to redden once again. "C-cute? Sasaki-sama, please don't say things like that!"

"Can't promise that Chihiro." Hisato adored the way Chihiro acted. "Excuse my interruption. Since it was your father's program, did he ever find out?"

Chihiro pouted but continued on.

"Yes. My dad found out I had been messing around with his program without permission. I thought he was gonna get really mad…" Her face then brightened. "But, instead he praised me! The system used natural language understanding to narrow down large sets of data through conversation. Apparently, the interaction was so natural he thought it would change the landscape of information retrieval!"

Her cheerfulness got toned down a notch. "Though it's fairly cost-prohibitive, so the system hasn't gained widespread use just yet. But anyway, after that, programming pretty much became the world to me… it made me so happy being able to do something that brought other people happiness!" She finished up her story, smiling widely

Junko yawned quietly, disinterested in Chihiro's story.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm over here blabbing to myself and not giving you a chance to say anything!" Chihiro apologized frantically, realizing she talked way more than she intended to.

Hisato casually waved it off. "It's cool. I told you to tell me about yourself after all. I must say, it's quite interesting learning how you came to be the Ultimate Programmer!"

"Th-thank you, Sasaki-sama!" Chihiro eyes were filled with admiration.

"As promised, I'll tell you about myself now." Hisato braced himself, hoping their reactions wouldn't be as bad as he thought. "Since you told us the backstory behind your talent, I'll do the same."

Chihiro nodded enthusiastically, waiting to learn more about him.

Junko sat up straight, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. She knew about all the terrible deeds he's done, but she never learned how he came to be the Ultimate Schemer. On numerous occasions, he's been so close to telling her, but then someone usually showed up last second and broke them apart.

It didn't bother Hisato, hell he didn't even notice it, but she did, and it bothered her for some odd reason.

"I suppose I should start with my childhood too. I was the stereotypical type of kid. I hung out with friends outside, I had loving parents, an exciting life fit for a kid." Hisato started off, a small smile present on his face.

"One day, I was at the playground minding my own business when this big nasty kid came up and robbed me of my toys. The normal thing to do was to let it go, but something inside me told me to get back at him. I won't get into the details of what I did, but his mom got really pissed. I guess that's fair for brea… actually, that doesn't matter. I got my toys back. After that day, I began to realize that I'm a quick thinker when it comes to situations similar to that."

Hisato recounted the time when he sent that bastard away, and his mother couldn't find him anywhere. He honestly didn't care where he ended up at, as long as he got what belonged to him. That was also the day he developed a lack of sympathy for the people that crossed him, like Leon for example.

"After that day, I tested my newfound skill frequently. Sure I may have lost a couple of friends…" Hisato paused, appearing nervous. "...most of them…" He glanced to the side. "...all of them except for one. But it was totally worth it! Who better to deceive than those who trust you the most? That's what the young me would've said. I wish I wasn't such a goddamn idiot…"

He expressed remorse for what he had done in the past. He lost all his friends and for what? Just because it gave him the type of rush that he soon became addicted to. The thrill rushing across his veins, the pleasure he got watching his schemes come to life in such a deceiving outcome.

"My parents hated my talent. They didn't like getting phone calls every single week about me doing something bad. The inner part of me wasn't going to let them push me around. I believe I already told you all one thing I did to them."

Junko vividly remembered what he was referring to. During one of the first days trapped in this school, Hisato told her, Chihiro, and Hifumi that he got his parents arrested on purpose.

"My uncle was the only one in my family that truly supported me. He's one of the reasons I decided to come here," Hisato said. "When I first got scouted as the Ultimate Schemer, I thought hard about it. At that point, I realized everything that I've been doing. I thought my talent was evil. My uncle was the one who fully convinced me to go. I'm starting to regret trusting him so much…"

Going to Hope's Peak Academy led him to this malicious game. His uncle indirectly caused him to go, but he didn't blame him. He couldn't have known after all.

"Your uncle, huh?" Junko quirked an eyebrow.

"Yep. He's the only person in my family that I trust with my life." Hisato frowned sadly. "He was also the person in my motive video. That's why I sorta freaked out."

"Sorta?" Junko snorted.

"Your motive video?" Chihiro vividly remembered hers. It made her cry, but she didn't overreact as much as Sayaka and Hisato did. "Why are you telling us? Isn't it supposed to be your secret?"

"I don't really mind sharing it to you two. He meant so much to me, I legitimately thought of killing someone so I can go see if he's alright," He admitted. "But I told myself it wasn't real. It couldn't be. My uncle is strong. No way he'd let some bozo kidnap him! And even if he did, he wouldn't be someone's pawn. He'll fight until his dying breath!"

Hisato spoke with a lot of admiration for his uncle. It made Chihiro and Junko realize just how much he believed in his uncle.

"W-well… I'm glad that you're here with us!" Chihiro blurted out. She retracted back some shyly. "Though, it's not ideal with our current situation."

"Damn right. This school sucks. My uncle unknowingly sent me to deathtrap..." He awkwardly coughed. "Um… hey."

The girls turned their heads to the direction that Hisato was looking. Standing at the doorway was Makoto.

"Hey, Sato-kun!" Makoto greeted him kindly.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"J-just the last part."

"Bah. Whatever." Hisato brushed it off, unconcerned with what Makoto heard. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm checking out the entire second floor." Makoto saw Junko stare at him out of the corner of his eye. "Do you need something Enoshima-san?"

Junko glowered at the brown-haired ultimate. "No." She heard Hisato snicker from the side and jabbed his stomach, hushing him up.

"Okay…?" Makoto didn't know what to make out of the exchange. "You weren't there because you left early but we're all meeting back at the cafeteria when we're done."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." Hisato dismissed him. Once Makoto left, he faced his companions with a stern expression on his face. "I'm going to go find Hifumi so we can execute my plan as soon as possible. Stay here in the meantime."

"But what about meeting with our friends?" Chihiro asked.

"This is more important. Trust me. We'll arrive late."

Chihiro nodded. Hisato left the classroom, leaving her and Junko alone.

"Poor Sasaki-sama… his talent only drifted his close ones apart," Chihiro said sadly. She expected his story to be filled with the same kind of curious wonder as hers.

Hisato returned back with a confused Hifumi and he began to explain their gameplan. He only quietly said that he'll distract Monokuma and they should follow Hifumi's lead as he already told him what to do.

Junko figured she might as well play along to see if what they were up to is deemed important or not.

"Man, I wish Monokuma was here so I can show him just how much I love him." The plan was set in motion.

Monokuma barged through the door and ran up to his favorite student.

"I'm here! I'm here! I totally wasn't eavesdropping on you or anything Sato-chan." Monokuma's cheeks flared red.

The bait worked perfectly.

"I have a present for you but it's in my room. I'll go fetch it." Hisato exited the classroom once more with an ecstatic Monokuma in tow.

"Why does she keep following his shenanigans?" Junko asked herself, unintentionally saying it aloud.

"She?" Chihiro heard her loud and clear. She had no idea who Junko was talking about. Monokuma is a guy.

"Huh? I said he."

Before Chihiro could say more on the matter, Hifumi ushered them both out the classroom.

The Ultimate Fanfic Creator headed inside the library and spotted the laptop resting on the table. His job was to sneak the laptop in his backpack, which he already emptied out all his supplies.

The girls stood at the entrance, watching for any intruders. They were cautious of the only other person there, Byakuya but he seemed to ignore them so they didn't worry about him.

"The secondary protagonist acquired the objective! Mission complete! I have leveled up!" Hifumi yelled some obscure nonsense once he successfully stashed the laptop in his backpack.

"Quiet down over there!" Byakuya snapped. Hifumi muttered out a small apology and raced over to the girls. They left the library together.

"Nice job, Yamada-kun!" Chihiro couldn't be any happier. It's been quite some time since she last got her hands on a device that she can tinker with freely. Now she can finally show people that she can be useful after all!

During her inner celebration, she realized that Hisato did keep his word. He said he'd get her a laptop and he did!

"What exactly do you plan on doing with that thing?" Junko asked her. She already planned to report this, and she looked for more information.

"Oh… I'm not sure yet." Chihiro got too ahead of herself. She hadn't really thought over what she'd use the laptop for.

"I'll keep the laptop in good hands until then. You can count on me, Miss Fujisaki!" Hifumi saluted her.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll think of something. I don't doubt your abilities." Junko grinned.

Chihiro gained a faint blush from their kind words. It only motivated her to give it her all.

"Thanks! Oh… I hope Sasaki-sama is doing okay."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hisato brought Monokuma inside his room. He hoped his three friends finished up with their part. It's only a matter of time until Monokuma realizes he's been played.

"Here it is. Your very own lamp!" Hisato presented the principal with a fine-looking lamp.

Silence.

Hisato gulped nervously. He grabbed Monokuma's paw and handed him the lamp.

Monokuma looked down and stared at the lamp for what felt like an eternity. As expected, he threw the lamp at the wall, nearly breaking it on impact.

"I wasted my precious time for a lamp?! Oooo! You're so going to get it now Sasaki!" The fact that he called him by his last name instead of the usual nickname should've made Hisato glad. Yet, it installed more fear within him without that sense of familiarity that he was used to.

"I thought I was Sato-chan?" He was no longer bothered with the name thanks to Chihiro and Junko. He tried to reason with the principal, even if it's the stupidest thing to do. Monokuma is a sadistic asshole.

Sometimes, the bad plans work. In this case, it bailed him out of any physical pain.

Monokuma dropped his flamethrower that magically appeared out of nowhere. "No, no. The Sato-chan I knew was a ruthless person who didn't care about others. He only worried about himself."

Monokuma circled around a thinking Hisato.

"You used to be more independent. Now you're hanging out with weak, glasses, and whore. You're so kind to them. What happened? Did the Ultimate Schemer go soft?"

"What's your point?" Hisato growled.

"My point, dear Sato-chan is that if you have people to look out for, who's looking after you? And who's to say that your _'friends' _won't stab you in the back. What if you get killed, or one of them get the axe? Face it, having an alliance will only lead to trouble in the long run."

Monokuma's final piece of advise shattered a small part of Hisato.

"Are you going to put their lives over yours?"

* * *

After his talk with Monokuma, Hisato silently entered the cafeteria. Everyone else was already there. He was the last to arrive.

He looked over at his friends. They eagerly waved at him, indicating that the mission was a complete success.

Seeing his entrance, Taka started the meeting.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen! How'd it go? Did anyone discover any interesting new thing?" Taka asked, hoping that someone found something that'll help them reach one step closer to escaping.

"There's a library!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"And a pool! A freakin' pool!" Hina added in with an equal amount of boom in her voice. "And locker rooms filled with exercise equipment!"

"There was not, however, anything resembling an escape route." Sakura broke out the unfortunate news.

Taka put his hands on his hips. "Well hey, there's no reason to get all sulky. Wait until you hear about my amazing discovery!" He grinned, proud of his own findings. He glanced at Hisato specifically.

"The warehouse and the bathhouse on the first floor of the dorms are now opened! And the warehouse is chock-full of food, clothes, whatever you want! There's so much that it's insane!"

Hisato snapped out of his inner thoughts and he listened to Taka's discovery.

"Huh. So I was wrong. My apologies Taka." Although he hated to admit he was wrong, he didn't really have much of a choice. Everyone was there when he made a scene in the gym.

It was only right that he apologized for his earlier outburst.

"I kindly accept your apology, Sasaki-kun!" Taka nodded approvingly. "So go ahead and stuff yourself to the gills of whenever you feel like it. Hahaha!" He laughed, happy to have checked the first floor.

"Keep in mind, of course, that going out at night time is still prohibited. Please do not forget…" Celeste reminded them. Junko and Hisato were at a loss. They didn't attend the first meeting, therefore weren't informed of the rule.

"Going out at nighttime isn't against the rules?" Hisato said, sharing the same clueless expression as Junko.

Makoto answered this for him. "We all agreed to stay in our dorms at night. No one is allowed to go out."

"So… like an unofficial rule between us students?" Hisato asked for clarification. Makoto nodded. "And what exactly is enforcing this rule? I've been out at night practically every day."

This alarming confession caught everyone's attention.

"You what?!" Mondo hissed.

"Why are you acting so surprised? Did you forget about the trial?" Hisato jeered, worsening their relationship.

"I've been out at night too," Junko murmured. She noticed all the bewildered stares directed at her. "What? It was only one time and I was hungry!" She protested, folding her arms.

"Have you ever thought of an efficient way to enforce this?" He questioned the Ultimate Gambler, more concerned than afraid. "We all know Leon broke the rule in a heartbeat. Who's to say none of us will break it too, not counting Junko and I. We didn't know about the rule so I say we should be given a pass."

"I guess you have a point," Mondo huffed, backing down for now.

"Wait. Who even thought about this rule?" Hisato looked around the group of students.

"Celeste did. She said we have to adapt to our new lives if I remember correctly," Hina recalled.

Hisato's eyes widened. "Celeste? And here I thought you'd be one of the individuals who desperately want to get out."

"What do you mean? I thought everyone wants to get out?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Oh, it's nothing really." Hisato dropped it, not wanting to feed people information.

"No, no. I for one would like this hear this outrageous theory of yours," Celeste urged him to explain. A dangerous aura began to form around her.

"It's not that important. It's just an _outrageous theory_ as you called it," He insisted, much to Celeste's chagrin. "We're getting way off-topic. How are you all going to enforce this silly rule?"

"Why exactly are you questioning this?" Sakura eyes sharpened at the Ultimate Schemer. "Enoshima told us what she did at night, you should too."

"You guys really must not like me." Hisato shook his head, feigning a hurt look. _"Fiiine._ I'll tell you. I like to walk around the school at night. It's so quiet. I can gather my thoughts while also monitoring our environment at night. I wasn't planning on going out the night Toko died but it seems like if I hadn't then Sayaka wouldn't be here right now."

Sayaka internally groaned. She was getting sick of every time someone mentioned the events of that night. As if it wasn't already enough that she lived past it, she didn't want to hear any reminders of it.

"The punishment for going out at night is simple," Kyoko spoke. "You lose our trust."

"Not like I had it to begin with…" Hisato muttered. "I'll see if I want to follow your little rule. Can't make any promises."

Kyoko expected as much. Hisato's a person that's very difficult to handle. He only did things his way. It's a wonder how he obtained friends with his attitude.

"Okay, that aside. What about a fuckin' way out of here? You find anything like that?" Mondo grew tired from Hisato's idiotic comments and focused on what's really important: a way out.

"Oh, well… um…" Taka was caught off guard, sputtering words but unable to form a sentence.

Mondo clenched his fists. "There wasn't anything in the warehouse we could use to get our asses outta here? Nothin'?"

Taka started to feel really guilty now that Mondo said it out loud. His previous excitement over his discovery vanished.

"U-unfortunately, no-not that I saw…" He confessed, ashamed.

"You fuckin' people…" Mondo right eye twitched as he confronted his fellow classmates. "Who gives a shit if we have a goddamn pool now? Or a warehouse, or whatever the fuck! We're still trapped in this piece of shit school! We need to find a goddamn way out!"

He unleashed all his frustrations out on his classmates. It's understandable for someone to feel this way. They've experienced what will happen if they choose to live here any longer. There'll be murders and executions until there's only one left standing.

Celeste giggled, amused by his yelling.

"Now now, there is no point in taking out your anger on us," She chastised his behavior. "Adaptation is the key, yes? For now, we must each find a way to enjoy our current situation."

"Whatever you say, ya fuckin' loon…" Mondo knew there was zero chance that he was going to enjoy himself when they're prisoners in this school.

_'That's something we can agree on.'_ Hisato thought to himself.

Celeste truly was one strange person.

"For now, let's just continue our investigation, and let everyone know if you should discover something," Taka said, bummed out.

"Actually, we-" Chihiro wanted to share her soon-to-be plan but was immediately shut down.

"Yeah, we don't have anything to report." Hisato shook his head at the Ultimate Programmer.

It's best if only a select few knew about what they were up to. Giving people false hope was not on Hisato's agenda, nor was the potential consequences if someone's big mouth was overheard by Monokuma.

Until they made a breakthrough, keeping the laptop a secret was the best choice for now.

Chihiro got the memo and stayed silent, staring at her lap. Hifumi kept quiet too. He trusted Hisato's reasoning for keeping the laptop a secret. If it was so important to not let anyone know about it then so be it.

Hisato is the Ultimate Schemer, he knew better than him.

Junko didn't plan on telling any of them anyway, so she saw no issue of what Hisato was doing.

Something in his head told Hisato that there could still be something they missed. Monokuma made a big deal about the second floor.

_'There's no way the second floor is a big pile of disappointment. I should conduct a thorough investigation.' _Hisato considered checking the whole entire second floor again. He planned on checking out the warehouse and bathhouse too, thanks to Taka.

"So, are we done for today?"

"W-well… yeah, I guess so." Taka responded glumly.

"Cool. I'll take my leave then." Hisato got up and left the cafeteria.

_'Alright, first I'll explore the first floor, then I'll recheck that damn second floor. Screw Monokuma_. _He's just trying to get in my head and get me to turn on my friends. He doesn't know me. No one knows Hisato Sasaki. I'm going to end this killing game with my friends if it's the last thing I do!'_

With his agenda all planned out, Hisato prepared to continue his exploration.

It was around four o'clock. Investigating had taken a bit longer but that was fine. He had plenty of time before night and he planned to make the best use of it.

"Sasaki-sama! Wait!" Chihiro came running from behind. "Why can't we tell our friends about the-"

"They're not our friends Chihiro. I do not trust any of them." Hisato apparently took some of Monokuma's words to heart. Their recent conversation opened his eyes. "Let's just keep this between us four. The fewer people know, the better."

"B-but-"

Chihiro tried to rebut against this. She thought of everyone in the cafeteria as her friend. Hearing that Hisato didn't trust anyone outside their circle hurt her.

"Listen, Chihiro." Hisato placed his hands on her shoulders, staring at her dead in the eye. "I really don't want you to die. You can't trust everyone so easily. We need to keep this strictly between only us four." He noticed the conflicted expression on her face. "Look, you don't want to let everyone down if the laptop somehow gets spotted by Monokuma, do you?"

Chihiro stuttered, "W-well… no…"

"Then you see my point." He clapped her back. "Trust me on this. And hey, if we do get a lead then we can tell everyone. We can't do anything right now until we find a place we can safely use it. So please, don't talk about it with anyone outside our group. Can you do that for me?"

Chihiro thought about it. On one hand, she didn't want to hide anything from her friends that can potentially get everyone out of the school. On the other hand, Hisato did bring up valid points. On top of that, she didn't want to lose his trust either.

So Chihiro decided to follow Hisato's advice.

"Y-yes! I understand Sasaki-sama!"

A small smile replaced his serious expression. "Good. Go and enjoy your day. You're going to need all the energy you can get when I do find us a place to use the laptop. I've got some more work to do."

The two exchanged their farewells and went their separate ways, unaware of a shadow watching them in the distance.


	7. Ch 2: Case of Mistaken Identity II

**Author's Note: I've had this ninety percent done for the past couple of months but one scene gave me a huge writer's block and I couldn't make my way around it. Anyway, the next motive will involve secrets and it will be the last canon motive. All following future motives will hereby be new. **

**I've been gone for about half a year now and now I plan to come back and finish out this fanfic.**

**I've also edited the whole story in general and reworked my trial chapter more suited to the actual game. Feel free to check it out.**

**On a final note, please stay safe out there everyone. **

* * *

Hisato roamed the bathhouse first. The layout was pretty normal for a dressing room. There were benches, a pair of comfy chairs, and a counter that had sinks along with a long mirror to accompany it.

On the left side was a door, which he assumed to be the Sauna. On the right side were lockers.

_'Is this seriously a mixed dressing room? Hope's Peak must be really lazy if they want hormonal teenagers to share this place.'_

Hisato entered the next room, finding the illustrious sauna.

_'Man, this stuff would be more enjoyable if I didn't feel like I'm being watched every fucking moment of my life.'_ Hisato thought bitterly._ 'That perv Monokuma is definitely going to ogle me when I'm changing.'_

The ups and downs of being Monokuma's favorite student. There were more downsides. He wished it could've been someone else that got this treatment.

Knowing Monokuma, he might use naked pictures of him as some form of blackmail.

Hisato surveyed the dressing room one more time, attempting to find a surveillance camera pointing at him.

He was dumbfounded to discover that there were no surveillance cameras. Not one in sight. No hidden cameras anywhere too.

_'So it appears that the Dressing Room lacks surveillance cameras. A very important detail to take advantage of.'_ Hisato grinned. Finally, there was a room where he couldn't be stalked by Monokuma's watchful eye.

That also meant that they now have an area to use the laptop freely. The only negative is that it's located in the mixed dressing room. Anyone could walk in.

Hisato thought about this as he exited the room. However, he ran into someone.

"Oh! Hey Sayaka!" Hisato jumped back, caught off guard by her sudden appearance.

_'Was she waiting for me behind the door?'_

"Yes, I was," Sayaka said, creeping Hisato out more.

"The hell? Did you just read my mind?"

Sayaka let out a small giggle. "I just have good intuition." Her face then turned serious. "I heard what you and Fujisaki-san were discussing."

Hisato sighed, "Of course you did." He rubbed his temples, growing frustrated. "Geez, you go from trying to kill me and now you're spying on me. You're a devious snake, Sayaka… I like it."

He found her behavior rather enticing. He liked it when someone could get under his skin. It's a refreshing change, knowing he was standing face to face with someone as manipulative as her.

Junko would be the next candidate. Although, all she's been is a complete pain in the ass. She hasn't tried anything… yet. Even though she does annoy him tremendously with her smart remarks, she isn't all that bad.

He didn't know much about her. Whenever he did try to get to know her, she pushed him away. It did the opposite effect than she intended. Hisato's curiosity only spiked higher.

_'Just who is Junko Enoshima?'_

Sayaka winced.

"N-no! I wasn't spying! I left the cafeteria and overheard the two of you talking!" She replied frantically.

"And what did you hear?" He asked, checking for confirmation of her statement.

Sayaka hugged her body. Her face went pale. "You wanted a place for Fujisaki-san to use a laptop, and you were going to keep it a secret."

Hisato closed his eyes.

"Just my luck. You caught me!" A second later, he suddenly grinned and spread his arms out wide. "So what are you going to do with this knowledge?"

"I'm going to tell everyone of course! They deserve the right to know!" Sayaka exclaimed. She mainly thought about Makoto when considering this.

"Everyone, huh?" Hisato's voice darkened. He wasn't grinning anymore. "And here I was giving you a chance to redeem yourself. You're going to throw it right out the window."

"O-oh! Well…" Sayaka backtracked, not expecting that answer. "I-I can get everyone's trust back by telling them!"

Yes, that's it! When she tells everyone that Hisato is hiding the laptop from them, they'll trust her again and kick him and his friends to the curb.

_'Naegi-kun will forgive me… everyone will!'_ Sayaka didn't like what she was becoming. Hisato was only trying to be her friend and she's already threatening to betray him.

The killing game was changing her for the worse.

"Hmm… that won't do. That won't do at all." He slowly began to approach her with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Sayaka backed up until her back hit the wall. She had no choice but to stare in horror as Hisato was now mere inches from her trembling body.

"It's a shame, really. I thought you were cool. But you're threatening me. You're trying to ruin me and my friends' lives. I simply cannot let that happen." Hisato reached under his shirt. Sayaka's breath hitched, her body froze. She remembered that he hid knives underneath his clothing. "I put Leon away and fooled everyone into thinking that I was the victim. Heh, I knew what I was doing. Leon needed to go away, and now you have to go away too."

Sayaka couldn't believe what she was hearing. Hisato intentionally led Leon to his death too? She knew she played a role in it, but she was in the dark about what occurred after Leon left her room. Did Hisato purposefully go to Toko's room with the intention of having Leon kill her?

That nice perspective she had of Hisato vanished in a flash.

"But I don't really feel like having another death occur so soon. So go ahead and tell them what you heard." He paused, grinning madly. "Let's see who they decide to trust. I have Hifumi, Junko, and Chihiro to back me up. They won't ever suspect Chihiro of doing anything bad. As for you… do you really believe they'll trust your word over ours?"

The atmosphere grew heavier. Sayaka looked like a small creature that was about to prey upon a predator, which in this case is Hisato.

Sayaka realized that he was right and now found herself cornered. No matter what option she chose, she stupidly lost the trust of the only person who tried to give her a chance.

Would she always end up alone?

Hisato's face slowly morphed into a wide smile. He burst out laughing, much to her shock.

"Oh man! You should've seen your face! Relax Sayaka! I'm just kidding!" Hisato chuckled heartily.

"W-what?" Sayaka felt her heart skip a beat.

"Come on, you don't really think I planned Leon's death? I'm not that good. And I don't have anything underneath my shirt."

As proof, he unbuttoned the middle portion of his dress shirt to show that there was indeed no weapons hidden on him.

"You're pretty fun to mess with. You looked like you've just seen a ghost. Am I really that scary?" He scratched his head, pondering the question.

_'Yes… yes, you are.'_ Heat rushed throughout Sayaka's face as she watched him laugh at her expense. Many emotions swirled in her mind. She felt humiliated, shocked, angry, and even… glad?

It was all a lie.

"I do really want you to keep our secrets to yourself. I'm serious about that part," Hisato said, his laughter dying down. "I'll tell you our full plan if you're that interested. Do keep it to yourself. I'm positive you'll find a way to regain everyone's trust. Just don't do it like this. You'll ruin it for everyone."

Hisato wasn't lying about playing dumb if Sayaka exposed their plan to everyone. It's a last resort if it comes down to it.

"Why did you do this to me?" Sayaka asked, bringing her arms closer to herself.

"It's like I said. I think you're cool. I wouldn't feel as satisfied if I did it to Chihiro or Hifumi. Junko would probably hit me where it hurts the most." He shuddered, unconsciously masking his left shoulder with his hands. "Don't worry. Think of it as an initiation! You passed! Anyone I'd like to consider a friend should be a fast thinker, and you demonstrated that by telling me you'd rat me out to get back everyone's trust! A genius plan if it were just me, but with my friends backing me up it would've ended up miserably in your favor."

Sayaka never imagined someone needing an initiation to be their friend. It sounded silly.

Then again, this is Hisato. He's full of surprises.

"I'm impressed. You didn't crackdown under the pressure. You were close, but you still somewhat stood your ground," Hisato complimented her, or at least she believed it was a compliment. "I won't tease you so cruelly again. I've already got the reaction I needed. Thanks again, but I got to go now. There's a warehouse that I got to loot before everyone else takes all the goodies!"

He patted her shoulder, smiling cheekily before venturing down the hall.

Sayaka looked at the shoulder he patted. A pensive expression replaced her frightened one.

Sayaka started to rethink her plan. She obviously couldn't do her original plan anymore after hearing what Hisato said to counter it. She desperately wanted to make amends with everyone, but they keep shying away from her.

She couldn't even face Makoto. Her guilt prevented her from doing so.

_'Maybe if I help out with the laptop when they finally tell everyone I'll be credited too!' _Sayaka thought excitedly.

The Ultimate Pop Sensation also wanted to get to know Hisato more, so it was basically killing two birds with one stone. Hisato even offered to tell her what they were plotting in exchange for her silence.

She supposed hanging around Hisato's group wouldn't hurt at all. They were the only people who would speak to her anyway. Well… Hisato did. None of his other friends were pleased to see her.

One person was better than none.

She chased after the Ultimate Schemer, joining his investigation.

"Wait! Sasaki-kun!" Sayaka cried out. Hisato stopped and turned his head, a brief look of surprise on his face.

"Sayaka? Already coming to see me? I'm more popular than I thought!"

"I wish to join you, and I also want to know about the-"

"Pipe down! We don't want another eavesdropping fiend!" Hisato shut her up, checking to make sure no one was around. "You can join me. I'll inform you of the plan only on one condition: if you find any good stuff give it to me."

He playfully winked before resuming his walk to the warehouse. Sayaka cautiously followed him.

They entered the warehouse and were greeted by the tall metal shelving all over the area. There were tons of boxes, along with cans of food among other things. The warehouse was packed with just about any form of supply one could ask for.

"Woah!" Hisato's eyes sparkled at the sight. He quickly rushed over to one of the boxes of food. "Dibs!" He claimed it as his own, planning to supply his room with food in case he decided to stay in there for a long period of time working.

Sayaka watched him raid through the warehouse, calling dibs on everything he wanted.

This was the same person that scared her half to death.

_'Why does it seem like he has two different personalities?'_ Sayaka wondered if there was something wrong with him. He acted playful half the time, and then… he acted ominous, as witnessed multiple times.

Whatever it was, she wasn't sure whether to trust him or not.

Hisato raided a mini-fridge and saw all sorts of drinks and food in it. He grabbed one of the nearby boxes and dumped out its contents before shoving everything from the mini-fridge in it.

The box that he grabbed turned out to be one full of clothing.

One particular article of clothing nearly caused Sayaka's heart to drop.

"N-no way…" Sayaka darted towards the piece of clothing and picked it up. She ran her fingers across the fabric, feeling its soft touch soothe her eases.

Memories flooded her mind, all of which brought a heavy toll on her heart.

She held her stage outfit in her hands, clutching it tightly against her chest.

"That about does it." Hisato had three stacks of boxes next to him. He patted the top box, content with his findings. "Whatcha got over there? Found yourself a wedding dress?" He peeked over at Sayaka's direction, spotting the pretty outfit in her grasp.

"No… this is my stage outfit. The outfit I used whenever I performed…" Sayaka said softly, still admiring it.

"Really? What's it doing here?"

"I don't know… I'm so glad it's here!" Sayaka hugged her outfit as if it were buried treasure.

"That's nice~" Hisato was glad that Sayaka's mood improved. Having a sulking person following you around really can ruin your good time.

He rummaged through the pile of clothes that he tossed away. "I assume these come with that outfit of yours." He grabbed a pair of white boots, a collar with white flower designs, and a pink bow.

Sayaka dropped her outfit. Her shaky hands nearly snatched the items from his arms, but he pulled back last second.

"I suppose I could give 'em to you, but we had a deal. I like these boots honestly. Do you think I can pull them off?" Hisato poked the white boot. "Or we can come up with a compromise," He suggested deviously.

Sayaka gulped. Whatever Hisato had in mind couldn't be good. It spelled trouble. Surely he thought of this as soon as she carelessly agreed to his bargain before they came here.

"O-okay! I don't care about… the thing! Just give me my clothes!" Sayaka pleaded desperately. She remembered that there was a camera in here and made extra sure not to reveal the plans.

She cared more about having her precious stage outfit that held a great amount of sentimental value to her than some secret plan.

"Oh, I'm telling you that either way. You're my dear friend now whether you like it or not Saya-chan~" Hisato cooed, calling her by the nickname he came up with on the spot. She knew too much already. She put herself into this situation.

"I'll do anything then!"

"Anything?" Hisato frowned, disappointed with her response. "Aw man, that just sucks the fun out of this. I liked the cold-blooded Saya-chan better. This must mean more to you than I thought." He put the items back inside the box and motioned her to do the same.

She reluctantly did so. Hisato closed the box and lifted it up.

"I'll carry it to your room. I can't imagine you doing it with a broken wrist." Hisato inspected her supposedly broken right wrist. She hadn't had it treated from the looks of it. "Then we can go fix up your wrist."

Sayaka only nodded, astounded with the way he was treating her.

There was definitely someone wrong with him now. However, she wasn't complaining. Receiving this side of Hisato had its perks. Perhaps this is why his friends admire him a lot.

So she let it slide. Opting to go follow him as they traveled to her room.

"This is really light so my shoulder doesn't hurt as bad as it would've if I was carrying those boxes of food I stocked up on," Hisato said. "Believe it or not, Monokuma patched me right up after I helped Leon. I guess the person controlling him doesn't sleep much."

That night, Monokuma was waiting for him right outside his room offering to help him with his injury. Since at that time Hisato was working with the bear, he accepted the offer without any hesitation.

It bothered him knowing that no matter where he was, Monokuma's is watching him. That is except for the Bathhouse, the new safe haven for him to escape Monokuma's watchful eye.

"Monokuma helped you? But why?"

"Duh. It's because I'm his favorite student. Trust me, it's a lot worse than it sounds." Hisato grumbled, displease evident on his face. "We need to have your wrist treated. We're already at a disadvantage with our injuries. I wouldn't be surprised if someone takes advantage of our current state."

They reached Sayaka's room. She opened her door and allowed Hisato in.

The Ultimate Schemer placed the box on the ground and surveyed the room.

To put it simply, Sayaka's room was plain boring. Quite possibly a default version of a girls' dorm.

_'Wait, default version? Ugh… Hifumi's way of talking is having an effect on me now.'_ Hisato shook his head, appalled at the thought of turning into Hifumi. He liked the guy, but there were some things that even he couldn't deny about his large friend.

"I think I'll just ask Hifumi to carry the boxes I left to my room. I'm not positive I can carry them all on my own." He sweatdropped, now regretting packing all that food into the boxes.

"Anyway, I'm taking my leave. Go and get your wrist fixed up. Ask Monokuma if you need to." Sayaka's face morphed into a frightened expression. "Don't worry. Monokuma can only kill you during executions. It's his duty to look after his students."

Even then, Sayaka had no intention of letting Monokuma tend to her injury. Not without a witness present in case things go awry.

"Can you stay here, please? I won't feel comfortable if Monokuma and I are the only ones here," Sayaka requested. Her eyes begged him not to leave her alone.

Hisato's first instinct was to straight-up decline her request.

_'This is a good way to earn her trust though.' _He couldn't deny that having strength in numbers is one of the reasons why he's being nice to her. It's one of his many strategies coming into this dangerous killing game.

And besides, she really is a sight for sore eyes.

"W-what?" Sayaka noticed his gaze on her.

Hisato cleared his throat, finding interest in the floor. "Nothing. Just thinking about your request," He lied, cursing himself for hanging around Hifumi too much. "And I will, but you have to do something for me. You have to…"

He paused for dramatic effect. His body ever so slightly leaned close to hers as a maniacal grin formed on his face.

Sayaka could only imagine what horrible things he'd make her do. Help him commit murder? Deceive his friends? Or maybe he might even force himself onto her-

"...sing me a song."

It took a few seconds for Sayaka to fully register his request into her head.

"Huh?" It shocked her that out of all the things he could've asked of her, it was something related to her talent.

"You heard me. I want you to sing me a song Miss Ultimate Pop Sensation. Oh! And it has to be done before we escape. No exceptions!" Hisato explained his offer, appearing quite chipper about it. "You have to promise. Promise right now!"

The blue-haired ultimate blinked.

Singing a song wasn't the hardest thing in the world. It fit right up her alley. The problem is she usually sang with her group members. She rarely sang solo, finding it more suitable and comfortable singing with her closest friends.

It just didn't feel right.

"Come on! It's just one song." Her hesitation didn't go unnoticed. "Would you rather leave your wrist untreated for the rest of your life or sing me a song that'll take less than five minutes?" He deadpanned, wondering why on earth was this so difficult for her to decide.

Sayaka finally came to a decision after much thinking.

"Okay. I promise." She didn't sound very enthusiastic, but a promise is a promise. One that Hisato's won't forget. And if that promise were to be broken… Sayaka will regret it.

"Nice! I'll go get the doctor Saya-chan!" Hisato ran out of her room, presumably going to fetch Monokuma.

Sayaka groaned and ran her left hand down her face. Just what had she gotten herself into?

A few minutes later, Hisato came back with a grumpy Monokuma. He also appeared to be holding something in his hand.

"I feel like you're using me now Sato-chan…" Monokuma murmured.

"Of course I am! Nothing less for the worst principal on the planet!" Hisato remarked. A tick mark is seen on Monokuma's forehead.

"You're really playing with fire," Monokuma warned him.

"Fine. Consider this the last favor you grant me." Hisato hated that he had to sacrifice his special privileges so Monokuma wouldn't turn on him for good. With the deal they had already completed, it's not like he needed much from him anymore. "You should've opened up the damn infirmary if this bothers you. You helped treat my injury, so do your job as the principal and attend to hers as well."

"Last favor? Puhuhu! All for a selfish girl? Be careful what you wish for. Now I won't be so generous to you as I was before." Monokuma quickly confirmed their deal, beaming with joy now that Hisato couldn't ask anything of him anymore.

As it should've been in the first place. He desired to have a little fun with them, which escalated into something he didn't plan for.

"Yeah, yeah. That song better be fucking amazing," He said to Sayaka, taking a seat on her bed.

_'Dammit. This better be worth it.' _Hisato bitterly thought. Sayaka sat on the chair near the desk, ready to let Monokuma do his thing.

"You kids take better care of yourselves next time! I don't want to have to waste my time doing this again." Monokuma adored a full doctor's costume now. "Close your eyes! This will only take a minute."

Instead of following his order right away, she looked over at the Ultimate Schemer. He seemed to be looking over papers in a file.

"I'm watching. I'm watching," Hisato assured her, funnily enough, he said so while he scanned over the pages in his hands.

Sayaka closed her eyes shut, seeing nothing but darkness.

She relied on her hearing. For some strange reason, she heard the sound of drills and hammer bonking right beside her ears.

A minute later, the sounds stopped.

"Alright. Open your eyes." Sayaka opened her eyes and found a splint wrapped around her injured right wrist.

_'How did he do this without me feeling it?'_ Sayaka was at a complete loss. She twirled her wrist in circles. There was still lingering pain, but it wasn't as bad as before.

"Don't question it. If it works, it works." Hisato experienced the same kind of confusion when Monokuma pulled this anomaly on him. Monokuma's methods are near impossible to crackdown.

"Now that that's taken care of." Monokuma packed up his supplies in a bag, along with his doctor's outfit. "Wear that splint for a week so the swelling goes down. Come back to me so we can get you a cast. That is if you're still alive by then! Puhuhuhu!"

Monokuma scattered, his laughter fading into the distance.

"Gah. That damn bear. Don't sweat it, Saya-chan. You won't be dying on my watch," Hisato declared suddenly. "Just stick close to me and you won't have to deal with trouble alone."

Rather than appreciating his offer, she couldn't take it any longer. Sayaka had enough of this.

"What happened to you?" Sayaka asked him softly. "You were nowhere near this nice back then."

"What are you talking about?" Hisato scratched his head, confusion was written on his face. He set aside his file. "Back then?"

Sayaka remembered him now. During their first day here, she walked up to him and questioned him on whether they were familiar with one another.

He denied it.

But then she met up with Makoto again, and she is certain now that Hisato lied.

All three of them attended the same middle school. Makoto even expressed disappointment because Hisato pretended that he never met him in his life, contrary to the stories Makoto told her.

According to Makoto, he and Hisato were really good friends in middle school. They went to high school together too before Hisato got expelled for some unknown reason.

Sayaka herself can back Makoto up. It was Hisato who has it twisted around, not them.

"Back in middle school… you were never this nice," Sayaka muttered, hugging her arm.

Hisato didn't even try to resist his eyes from rolling in annoyance.

"This again. I'll tell you once and once only. I do not know any of you here. I've met everyone here on the first day of being prisoners in this damn school," He lied, of course, keeping the phone discovery a secret.

"It's true. You, Naegi-kun, and I all went to the same middle school!" Sayaka said louder to get her point across firmly. "You're the one that's wrong Sasaki-kun! I remember you… I-I remember you…"

Sayaka let out a shaky breath, briefly stunning him. He didn't expect her to be so emotional about this.

"You were that boy who kept pranking the music room. It was always messed with whenever I went in." Sayaka remembered each encounter clearly as it had an impact on her life.

She went to the music room every day, constantly bracing herself for any tricks caused by the Ultimate Schemer. Hisato must have had a grudge against someone who frequently attended the music room.

Sayaka knew it wasn't her because she confronted him one day and demanded to know why he continued to terrorize the music room. His only response was someone pissed him off and he wasn't stopping until he got his target.

The Ultimate Pop Sensation would later discover who this person was. One evening, she stayed after school to help tidy up the music room after yet another disaster caused by Hisato.

Of course, she had help in the form of one of her fellow peers who visited the music room often. The guy in question even volunteered to help clean the room.

Sayaka thought nothing of it at first. As time passed, she began to notice the looks she was getting from him while she was cleaning. It got to the point Sayaka opted to leave early.

However, the guy had other plans. He stood at the only exit in the room and locked it shut. Luckily for Sayaka, the music room was fairly big so she had enough time to run to a safe distance.

It was one of the only times the Ultimate Pop Sensation feared for her life. She felt like a caged bird, helplessly cowering in the corner as the predator approached closer and closer.

Then, out of nowhere, the floor under the guy disappeared, taking him down with it. Hisato appeared outside the window holding some kind of device in his hands, presumably triggering the hidden trap door.

Sayaka wasted no time bolting out the door and reporting the incident to the lingering administrators. By the time she left the school, she spotted Hisato walking down the sidewalk.

When asked why he saved her, he said, "I didn't do it to save you. I was merely teaching him a lesson. Don't expect to see him for a few weeks."

Right he was because apparently, the hole was pretty deep. It left the creepy boy with a few broken bones.

Even though Hisato made it clear that he had no intention to save her, he piqued Sayaka's interest. Her intuition told her that there was more to it than she thought, which was later confirmed when she learned that the trapdoor had been there since the first day of the beginning of middle school.

The trapdoor wasn't created specifically for Hisato's victim. So maybe he did save her, or maybe he didn't.

For the better part of her years in middle school, she tried to catch Hisato so she could get an answer. There were two problems that prevented her from doing so.

One, they were in different classes. Their paths never collided. Two, she rarely ever saw him. Not a lot of people liked Hisato, so he generally avoided people.

Somehow, Makoto found a way to get past those problems. For starters, they were in the same class, making it easier for them to interact. Sometimes, Sayaka would spot them hanging out together. She could never attempt to join them because of how different their social groups were.

"My school didn't even have a music room." Back to the present time, Hisato could only stare at her defeated state, perplexed. Why was she insistent on this?

_'How can I prove it to him?'_ Without any evidence, Sayaka couldn't prove to Hisato that they shared a past. He wasn't going to trust her words.

She started to share everything she knew about the Ultimate Schemer.

"You got a scar on the side of your neck."

"You could've seen that at any time."

"Your birthday is on October Thirty-First."

Hisato's face faltered slightly. "Eh… that information is easy to come by!"

"You were suspended from elementary school for seven months because you trapped a classmate in the janitor's closet for three days."

"Huh?!"

Sayaka delivered the final blow. "Your uncle Dojavik-"

"Fine! Fine! You made your point!" Hisato conceded in a panic.

_'How the hell does she know about uncle Dojavik?! I never gave out his name!' _What sealed the deal was Sayaka knowing who his uncle was. As far as he knew, he only mentioned an uncle to Junko and Chihiro. He never actually gave out his name.

"B-but… this doesn't make any sense. How do you…" For the first time since their arrival, Hisato was completely baffled. He was speechless. When did he meet Sayaka Maizono? He had no memory of her before their arrival.

_'If what she's saying is true then… I've also met Makoto…? Is my whole life a lie?'_

All his life, he regretted everything from his past. Every little mistake, was that just in his head? All those people he's ever encountered… were they real?

Was _'she'_ real? Did he really not murd-

"N-no!" Hisato stumbled backward, landing on. His best friend… she had to have been real! He remembered her vividly. From his childhood up to the final year of middle school. Even her dea-

"No, no, no. God no." Hisato covered his face with his hands. He could feel the sweat drip down from his head to his trembling hands. He finally began to realize that he could have been the one who was wrong.

Sayaka and Makoto both claim to have known him before the killing game. Those two were more likely to know his true past.

He should've experienced a wave of relief. To know that he wasn't the cold-hearted, apathetic person he thought he always was.

There was a chance he wasn't a murderer after all...

It came with a price. His identity had been ripped from him. He felt naked. Was he supposed to change now? Stay the same?

"Am I even the Ultimate Schemer?" Hisato questioned aloud.

Having seen Hisato on the verge of a breakdown, Sayaka quickly reacted. "Y-yes! You still are the Ultimate Schemer! That part remains the same about you!"

She felt awful watching him nearly breakdown in front of her. Hisato Sasaki, the Ultimate Schemer, was sitting on her bed in a vulnerable state she's never seen him before.

"I-I think I need to go think about this in my room. Thanks for pushing past my stubbornness." Hisato left Sayaka's room, leaving her to wonder if she had done the right thing or not.

* * *

Junko was in a secret room, during nighttime no less. She didn't care about the stupid, easy to exploit rule set up by her classmates. No one would even know she left her room.

She sat on a chair, waiting for someone to appear.

"Boing!" Monokuma hopped down on the chair across from hers. He sat down and rolled his chair around in boredom. "What's so important that you need to talk to me about, you dirty cow?"

The insults flew past her. This was something that needed to be said.

"Fujisaki is planning to stop you. They're going to have a working laptop very soon," Junko informed him. "Should I stop him?"

She expected to be showered with praises from Monokuma.

But.

"Geez. Spoiler alert much?" Monokuma huffed. "Now you ruined all the fun! Why are you always such a disappointment?"

"Huh?" Monokuma's words felt like she was stabbed in the heart.

"Now it's boring I know someone is planning to overthrow me!" Monokuma wailed dramatically. "Looks like I have to work with this. The pipsqueak is trying to outsmart me, hm? That must be why Sato-chan distracted me. I've been outplayed, by my beloved no less! W-what is this I'm feeling?"

Monokuma lurched his body forward on the table. He groaned, clawing the table with his claws.

"Such despair! I can feel it crawl inside of me… it's gnawing out my insides!" Monokuma's face turned beet red. "I simply can't let this slide. I can deal with the trap, so you have to take care of Sato-chan."

"What do you mean by _'take care'_ of him?" Junko squirmed in her seat uncomfortably.

"What else do you think I mean? Certainly not taking care of him in a sexual manner. That ugly, flat-chested body of yours can't please any man!" Monokuma scoffed. Junko looked down at her figure.

"Yeah… my body is ugly."

"It's simple really. You're going to **kill** Sato-chan."

"Kill?" Junko's eyebrows shot up. "You told me we'll let him make the first move."

"Well plans change, dumbass! You only have yourself to blame. You were supposed to let me pretend to execute you!" Monokuma growled, still sore over his failed plan.

"It's not my fault Sato-chan saved me…" Junko mumbled, feeling guilty.

"Not your fault?!" Monokuma eyed her incredulously. "Of course it was your fault! You're the one that got him to like you after I specifically told you not to hang around him. I knew this would happen."

Junko looked at her shaking hands. He was right, like always. She shouldn't have let it happen. The plan failed because of her.

"I can kill myself right now!" She offered.

"No! That ship has sailed. That's why I have this new task for you. You can kill him any time you want. Don't let me down, you hear me!"

"Yes! I won't be the disappointment I am any longer!" Junko exclaimed cheeks flushed at the thought of finally making her sister proud.

Then another thought occurred to her.

"Are you going to do something about the bunker Sato-chan made? He's itching to go back there." This was the next question at the top of her list. Why wasn't it destroyed at this point?

"The what?" Monokuma curiously tilted his head sideways. A question mark sprouted beside his head.

Junko realized that he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

_'Wait. Did he hide it from her? But he showed me...'_

She pushed her confusion to the side. It was probably nothing anyway.

"Sato-chan dug a secret bunker at the bottom of the gym during his freshman year. From what I heard, there's another laptop there. It's mostly likely in working condition," She theorized.

Junko hadn't looked in there herself. She remembered that Hisato had plans to have Chihiro snatch a laptop from the gym. Apparently, he was referring to the bunker.

"He did? Grr! The nerve of him not telling me!" Monokuma seethed. "I have just the thing to take care of everything! Puhuhu!"

Junko waited for him to explain his plan, but it never came.

"What are you planning?" She dared to ask.

"That's none of your business! No one gets an unfair advantage, not even you!" Monokuma screeched. "Now leave! Your face is giving me a headache. Don't come back until Sato-chan is dead!"

Monokuma dismissed her, flipping the table over at her.

Junko dodged it with ease. She curtly nodded and left Monokuma to his own devices.

_'Killing Sato-chan shouldn't be so hard. He's the one that caused me to fail the plan. He made her disappointed in me._..'

It wasn't her fault that she didn't fake her death as planned. It was Hisato's. Now he had to face the consequences… he had to die.

She couldn't let her down again. She needed her sister's praise. It turned her on just thinking about all the compliments she'll receive after killing Hisato.

Sure it was a scummy move to kill him after he saved her. The problem there is that she didn't want to be saved, and she wasn't going to really die.

The plan was to fake her death so she could monitor the game along with her sister. That's how it's always been since the start.

Junko was instructed to kill him anytime she wanted to, as long as he's dead at the end of the killing game. It can be accomplished rather easily since he trusted her.

So why did she start having second thoughts about it?

_'Why the hell does Sato-chan keep making things more difficult?' _Junko pushed her unresolved feelings to the side.

The only thing that mattered was her desire to please the most important person in her life.

* * *

The next morning saw most of the students hanging around in the cafeteria. The only ones who weren't present were Byakuya, Taka, and Makoto.

"I'm telling ya, there's definitely something fishy going on at the second floor. I may have not had time yesterday to explore it but today is the day for sure!"

Hisato sat at the far left of the long table. His friends: Hifumi, Chihiro, Junko, and now Sayaka sat with him.

It wasn't much of a problem yet, but some of the students couldn't help but take caution of the growing group.

"Why didn't you have any time yesterday? It shouldn't have taken that long to explore the new additions to the first floor," Chihiro said.

"About that. I may have gotten sidetracked." He glanced at Sayaka. "I think I'm starting to learn more about myself than I realized. But that doesn't concern you all. What does is I totally found a place to use the thing!"

Chihiro's face brightened up, an action that Hisato found adorable. But then she nervously looked at Sayaka, as did Hifumi.

"Don't worry about it! Saya-chan and I discussed it so she's all caught up." He grinned.

Chihiro and Hifumi were too afraid to say what was on their minds. Fortunately for them, Junko wasn't.

"Really? You told us to keep everything a secret and you tell the crazy chick all of our plans?" Junko jeered, shaking her head. How Sayaka managed to get on good terms with him so quickly was beyond her.

"What Miss Enoshima said!" Hifumi agreed, grasping the straps of his backpack tighter. "With all due respect, I didn't hide this thing with me from everyone else only for you to tell Miss Maizono without consulting us. You, sir, have lost karma for that heinous crime!"

"Crime?" Hisato blinked. "No, no! I was planning on telling her anyway. Besides, she eavesdropped on our conversation yesterday evening and threatened to tell everyone, so I was kinda obligated to tell her." His eyes landed on Chihiro, informing her that their secret conversation yesterday wasn't so secret.

Chihiro opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Junko voicing her displeasure again.

"So you're allowing her in on this even after she manipulated Naegi, planned to kill you, and now spied on you and Fujisaki?" Junko stood her ground. Having Sayaka on the team would only lead to disaster.

"What's your problem?" Hisato growled, fed up with her rudeness. Junko shot a nasty glare towards him. "If you have a problem with this arrangement, you can just leave Junko. If anyone else wants to talk, please feel free to do so."

Hisato laid the offer out on them. His stricter side showed. Hearing them complain and moan about Sayaka being included in this ticked him off.

Even though they did have a valid point of not wanting Sayaka with them due to her past actions, Hisato felt the need that he had the last say on everything.

Without his help, none of this would be possible. In his eyes, he was the one in charge. If he wanted Sayaka involved then he expected his friends to follow along.

Shades of Hisato's true personality flared.

Hifumi and Chihiro stayed quiet, taken aback by his harsh tone.

Sayaka's palms began to sweat. She knew this was the type of reaction she'd receive from the three. She felt apprehensive. What if they didn't accept her? Was Hisato really her only hope? More importantly, why was he willing to sacrifice his friendship with Hifumi, Chihiro, and Junko for her? What did she do to gain that level of trust?

Hisato and Junko engaged in an intense staredown. Neither giving up so easily.

A fiery aura arose from the two. They sent each other their meanest glares.

This went on for about a minute until Junko relented.

"Fine. The crazy chick can stay," She sighed, poking her breakfast with her fork.

"Oh thank goodness. I don't know how much longer I could've kept that up." Hisato let his body slouch back against his chair. "Any other objections?"

"I guess not if Miss Enoshima is okay with it," Hifumi replied, still a bit unsure.

"N-no…" Chihiro didn't wish to make Hisato upset, so she gave in.

"Great! Now I don't have to use my secret weapon to persuade you!"

"Umm… secret weapon?" Hifumi parroted.

"Ehehe! I'll never tell!" Hisato hid his eyes with the edges of his beanie, smiling cheekily.

Just then, a certain brown-haired student came in.

"Mornin', Naegi!" Hina was the first to greet him.

"Good morning. Is everyone already here?" He asked, surveying the area.

"Nope! Still waitin' on Togami and Ishimaru." Hiro answered. "Togami's no surprise, but it's strange Ishimaru's not here yet…"

"Maybe he got the wrong end of the chopping block?" Hisato put out darkly.

"Knowing Ishimaru-kun, I imagine he is trying to get the King of Tardiness up and out of bed. Don't be so silly Sasaki-kun," Celeste chided, much to Hisato's dismay.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon. Just be patient," Sakura told them.

"I don't mind waiting for them, but there is one problem…" Celeste trailed off. Her blood-red eyes were now focused on Hisato. "I am thirsty."

"How the hell is that a problem?" Mondo was a little irked at Celeste's request. He thought she'd have a real problem, and being thirsty didn't cut it.

Hisato let out a groan, sliding his body down his chair until his body hit the floor.

Sayaka looked under the table, observing Hisato in his fetal position.

"Was that necessary?" Junko asked, not bothering to check upon him.

"Sasaki-kun~" Celeste sweetly called out to him, hiding the malice in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah." Hisato got back to his feet. "Makoto, hold down the fort while I'm gone why don't ya?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What do you think? With Taka absent, clearly, I'm next in line when it comes to taking charge," He boasted, annoying some of his classmates. "After me, it's you. So keep an eye on these rascals and make sure they don't cause trouble."

Still confused, Makoto nodded his head anyway. Hisato left to go to the kitchen.

"What a dick. He can at least keep those thoughts to himself," Mondo grumbled.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it," Makoto chuckled awkwardly. He was flattered that Hisato considered him as a leader, even if it was temporary.

Makoto gazed at his former assistant, Sayaka. She hadn't spoken a word to him since the first trial. He was torn up that she coldly tried to pin a murder on him, abusing his trust.

She didn't even have the nerve to apologize. She never tried to explain her actions. Makoto wished that she said something, anything to convince him that she didn't want to throw him under the bus for her own gain.

Sadly, Sayaka avoided him every chance he attempted to approach her. It was an indirect way of telling him that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Probably because she couldn't use him after she blew her first try.

At least, that's what Makoto thought. A small part of him believed that she was just scared to talk to him. That small glimmer of hope was all he needed to have the confidence to speak to her again.

"M-Maizono-san." Makoto cursed himself for stuttering. Was he really this nervous about confronting the person that he used to trust the most? He didn't admit that he secretly had feelings for her. Those feelings slowly died down after the first trial.

"H-huh…?" Sayaka was startled to hear Makoto call out her name. She narrowly avoided his gaze, lowering her head so that her hair shielded her face.

"Hehe… how's it going? Is your wrist feeling better?"

"Yes…" Sayaka weakly replied, holding her splint wrist close to her chest.

Makoto noticed it in a heartbeat.

"Is that a splint? You did treat your wrist after all." Makoto let a smile replace his frown. Seeing Sayaka doing alright brightened his mood. "Wait. I thought the infirmary was blocked off."

"Monokuma did it…" Sayaka answered his question. She began to sweat profoundly. Her eyes had a hard time staying still.

She wanted this so badly, but her body was betraying her.

"Monokuma?!" Makoto gasped. "He didn't do anything terrible to you, did he?!"

Monokuma doing something helpful was a feat on its own. Though, there could have been a catch. He wouldn't have treated her injured wrist for free… would he?

"N-no… Sasaki-kun was there with me."

"Sato-kun…?" Makoto experienced a sharp pang of jealousy strike his heart. What in the world were Sayaka and Hisato doing together? When did this even happen?

It's an obvious fact that Monokuma would do anything for Hisato. Maybe he was the one to command the principal to fix up her wrist. Nothing was wrong with that. Nothing could've transpired between the two.

It shouldn't.

_'W-why am I still feeling like this?'_ Makoto asked himself.

"Really? He fixed your wrist just because Sato-chan said so?" Junko clenched her fists. Hisato was becoming a distraction. No one should be getting special treatment. It's the survival of the fittest.

_'Why is she paying more attention to him than me? What am I doing wrong?'_

"Y-yeah… but the catch was Sasaki-kun couldn't get any more favors from him," Sayaka replied uncomfortably. She was being cornered by two people she didn't want to talk to.

"Gweh?!" Hifumi slapped his hands on his cheeks, gasping. "You mean no more big meals to cure our hp?!"

"Is that what you really care about?" Chihiro sweatdropped.

Junko stared at Sayaka in disbelief._ 'He actually did that for her? Just how long does he plan on using her?'_

There was no way in hell Hisato befriended her just for the kick of it. He must've seen something in her during the class trial. That's when he was truly interested in her.

It was mainly a good thing. He couldn't ask anything out of Monokuma, so he's going to have to play fairly like everyone else. Though, she highly doubted Monokuma would've spared him from execution.

"Oh. That's nice of him…"

Makoto's mood deflated. Hisato was already doing more for her than he ever had as a friend. All he ever did was appoint her as his assistant, not by force as she actually volunteered, but when he really thought about it they were only connected because they went to the same school together.

They found a sense of comfort because of the familiarity. Makoto wondered what he did wrong. Was he a bad friend? Is that why Sayaka backstabbed him?

_'I thought I did everything I could during our situation. How did I screw up? If Maizono-san does still like me she would've apologized by now.'_

They really needed to talk about this.

"Maizono-san, I'm sorr-"

Right as he was set to apologize for being a failure of a friend, the door to the kitchen opened. Hisato grumpily carried a tray of tea in his hands.

"Stupid Celeste… forcing me to brew her tea. I should've spit in this shit," Hisato muttered under his breath.

In the middle of his rant, his foot got caught up on a loose tile and he came crashing down to the floor along with the tray. The tea spilled all over the floor.

A humiliated Hisato angrily slammed his fists on the ground.

"Dammit! I'm not gonna keep doing this shit for you, Celeste!" Hisato snapped. He glared at the Ultimate Gambler, who just merely giggled.

"Hmhmhm! Aren't you cute, thinking you have a say in this." She laughed, amused with his outburst.

"W-what?!" Hisato sputtered. "I do have a say in this! I'm not going to be pushed around by the likes of you. Watch out Celestia Ludenberg. You just made the wrong enemy."

With his chilling words lingering in the air, Hisato stormed out of the cafeteria.

"You sure that was a smart move?" Hiro asked her, sweating a bit.

Celeste avoided answering his question. "Yamada-kun!"

Hifumi's head perked up. "Y-yes! Right on it Miss Ludenberg!"

Unlike Hisato, Hifumi had no intention to cross the Ultimate Gambler. He wanted to be on her good side for undisclosed reasons.

"Just great. Now he's gonna be grumpy for the rest of the day," Junko mumbled, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Should we go cheer him up?" Chihiro asked worriedly.

"Nah. He'll just yell at you when he's like this." She dismissed the idea, knowing this from experience. It made her curious as to what Hisato was planning.

He repeatedly claimed that he didn't like killing, so how exactly would he keep Celeste under control?

"Sasaki-sama wouldn't yell at me…" Chihiro said quietly, though still remaining in her seat.

The cafeteria doors flew open, and one of the late arrivals came storming in.

It was the Ultimate Moral Compass, Taka.

"Bad news everyone! There's a mystery afoot!" Taka hollered, appearing rather frazzled.

"What happened? Did someone not tidy up their bed? Or worse, did you find one of your socks missing?" Junko taunted, earning quite a few laughs from her peers.

"No!" Taka's ears turned pink. "It would seem Togami-kun refuses to leave his room! I stood there pressing his doorbell over and over, but he never showed himself." He informed his classmates, quickly getting over his embarrassment.

"Maybe he just... wasn't there," Makoto proposed, finding it odd that Taka would make a scene that Byakuya wasn't answering. Surely Byakuya would open the door and yell at him for making such a racket.

Taka nodded, fixing his posture. "I'd like to think so. But I'm worried something might have happened to him."

He didn't have to say anything else. Everyone understood exactly what that might mean.

Toko's death came to a sudden shock to everyone. It's understandable that Taka feared something might have happened to Byakuya since he wasn't answering his door.

"I-It might be a good idea if we all split up and go look for him." Makoto jumped onboard with Taka, realizing how peril the situation could be.

"Ah! I was just about to suggest the same thing!" Taka exclaimed, unintentionally one-upping Makoto.

Hina raised her fists. "Okay then! I'll go check his room one more time. I'm just gonna keep on hammering that button till I get a response!"

"Very well. The rest of us can go check the rest of the building," Sakura said. No one had any complaints.

"Yeah. Before it's, y' know… too late," Hiro chuckled nervously.

Everyone split off, hoping that Byakuya hadn't suffered a terrible demise.

* * *

Makoto ventured off to the second floor on his own. He had a sneaky feeling that Byakuya's location was on the second floor.

When he arrived, he spotted Kyoko trying to gain Hisato's attention.

_'Sato-kun is up here? I thought he'd be in his room.'_ Makoto decided to approach the two ultimates.

"Sasaki-kun, why won't you just give me answers?" Kyoko asked him, growing impatient.

"Like I said Kirigiri, I'll do it when you stop playing dumb, or when you tell me what your talent is. I definitely need that info from you," Hisato responded, not caving to her demands.

"You're making this more difficult than it should be."

"Me!? All you have to do is tell me your talent… oh hey, Makoto!" Hisato dropped the conversation entirely once Makoto came into view. Makoto took a mental note of the conversation.

_'What does Kirigiri-san want him to answer? And why does Sato-kun think she's playing dumb?' _Makoto wondered.

"Hey, Sato-kun. Do you happen to know where Togami-kun is? We're all looking for him."

"Hehe! As a matter of fact, I have a hunch as to where he is." Hisato puffed his chest proudly. "But it'll cost you."

Makoto frowned. "But he might be-"

"He's fine. Trust me. All I want from you is to tell me what you find fishy about Celeste," Hisato offered, refusing to let Celeste act like she owned him. He needed some leverage on her, whether it was blackmail or plainly hitting her where it hurt the most.

_'Celeste will learn who she's messing with._' Hisato thought grimly.

"Is that it?" Makoto blinked, believing that Hisato would have a chore for him to do. Sharing his thoughts of Celeste wouldn't hurt. "The thing that set me off was when I introduce myself to her. When I heard her name… it just didn't sound right. I don't think it's actually her name, and when I confronted her about it she acted weird."

Hisato listened to his every word. Once finished, he spoke his thoughts aloud.

"Not her real name? I suppose as the Ultimate Gambler she should be a master at lying. Did she say she's Japanese?" He received a head nod in response to his question. "I see where you're coming from. Celestia Ludenberg is a rather foreign name. She acted weird over the topic of names…"

Hisato abruptly gasped, shocking the Ultimate Lucky Student.

"No way!" Something clicked inside the mind of the Ultimate Schemer. "That would explain why she got mad… oh man, this is perfect! Thanks, Makoto! Byakuya is in the Library!"

He sped off to the direction where the stairs were, presumably going to his room now.

"Sasaki-!" Kyoko clenched her fists in frustration, watching him leave in a hurry. Her stony gaze shifted toward Makoto.

"I'm sorry. I forgot that you were talking to him." Makoto rubbed the back of his head shyly.

Kyoko sighed, "It's alright. I'll get him to talk eventually. You just worry about finding Togami-kun."

Makoto smiled briefly, glad that she wasn't angry. He gave her a curt nod and headed on over to the library.

He swung open the doors of the library and what he saw shocked him.

"Togami-kun?!" Of all the things Makoto imagined, this most definitely wasn't one of them.

Byakuya was sitting by one of the tables with a mug in his left hand and a book in his right. He crossed his legs and took a small sip from his mug before continuing to read.

"Hey, uh… what are you doing?"

"I'm fishing," Byakuya remarked sarcastically. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to read. Sasaki has already interrupted my time so if you could be quiet…"

"Oh… sorry." Makoto apologized, realizing how dumb his question was. A wave of relief washed over him. Byakuya was safe and that's all that mattered.

"Wait! No-!" On the topic of safety, he realized why he even came here in the first place. "What are you doing here? Everyone's super worried! We've all been looking for you!"

"Who asked you to do that?" Byakuya inquired, eyes still glued on the pages of his book.

"B-because… we're all supposed to meet up in the morning and eat together! We made a promise!"

"A promise?" Byakuya tore his eyes away from his book, his sharpened gaze fixated at Makoto. "Can't I get a second's peace and quiet around here?"

Byakuya snapped his book shut and slowly stood up.

"I don't see Sasaki getting this irritating treatment. He's frequently absent and he and Enoshima didn't make any sort of promise. Why don't you go bother them?"

He brought up a valid point. The flaw there was Junko always came to the cafeteria during breakfast except for only one time. Hisato, however, missed a lot of the meetings but he recently began to show up so that's a plus.

_'I don't think he'll show up as much after what happened with Celeste.'_ Makoto thought.

Everyone else heard the commotion and came rustling in one by one.

Taka pushed through the crowd of students and confronted the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

"Togami-kun! So this is where you've been hiding!"

"The heck are you doing in here, man?" Hiro asked.

"We were very concerned," Sakura added.

"Well, you had no reason to be. I was just reading." Byakuya glanced at his book. "I've never read such a… coarse novel before, but it might just prove useful at some point."

"Wh-what were you reading?" Hina asked nervously.

"A mystery novel."

"Aw, what." Hisato came into view, appearing disappointed. "I thought I put a note on the cover with my name on it. Does dibs not apply in your world?"

Byakuya tossed a small crumpled ball of paper at his forehead.

"A piece of scrap paper won't stop me from enjoying my time here," Byakuya smirked. "What happened? I thought you were going to take your temper tantrum to your room."

"Erm…" Hisato flinched, feeling heat rush through his face. "No! The issue is... taken care of. I just came to get Hifumi. Why don't you read the How to Get Away with Murder book?"

The room went dead silent after Byakuya's following words.

"I don't need a book to do that."

Hifumi bit his fingernails anxiously. "W-wait. Are you gonna use what you're learning in there to betray us?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Byakuya's smirk never left his face. "It's just something to keep in mind."

"What?!"

"Can you really blame him?" Hisato spoke in Byakuya's defense. "We're going to have to be pretty innovative if we want to survive this game."

Despite the two not liking each other, they shared similar ideals. They both treated their situation as a game. Unlike Byakuya however, Hisato was more focused on surviving with his friends and putting a stop to Monokuma.

Byakuya absorbed as much information that he needed from the books. He planned to sit back and watch people pick each other off one by one. Then, when the time is right, he'll strike.

He had no doubt that the killing game will continue, even if people are against it, they'll push their priorities first eventually.

"Precisely," Byakuya agreed. "Otherwise, this game of ours will be totally boring, right? It's not often you get to take part in such a high-stakes, high-tension activity. So if you're going to do it, you have to make sure it's entertaining."

The Ultimate Affluent Progeny let out a fit of dark chuckles, implying that he found joy in watching everyone kill only if it's entertaining to him.

Mondo flipped out when he heard Byakuya's true feelings about the situation. "What the fuck do you mean game?! That's fucked up!"

"But it _'is'_ a game," Byakuya said matter-of-factly. "It's a game of life or death, which can have only one winner. That's all there is to it."

"He is right," Celeste concurred. "It's a zero-sum game."

"That's a clever way of putting it, but yes, that's essentially it," Hisato said, but then noticing the confused faces on several of his classmates' faces. "It's a game theory in our case, which means in order for one person to gain something, another must fall. If you want to succeed, it's necessary that someone else fails. In our case, only one of us can become the blackened."

He explained as clearly as he could. He was satisfied that everyone got the general idea of his explanation.

"So, this game was designed from the beginning to force one of us to try and defeat all the others?" Byakuya's eyes shot up in realization.

"Th-that can't be what they had in mind!" Makoto cried out.

"This is why adaptation is so crucial," Celeste reminded everyone yet again. "If those who want to escape were to disappear, there would be no reason to continue playing the game."

Hisato agreed with her statement. Monokuma sealed the whole school shut, top to bottom. If everyone could waltz out free, his fun would be over.

She made it sound as if playing the game as Monokuma wants it was the only option. There is always Plan B, a plan that Hisato set his sights on.

Byakuya scoffed, "But why would I stop playing? It's so much fun…" His smiled twisted upwards evilly, no doubt having scenarios playing in his mind.

"Really?" Hisato crossed his arms, appearing skeptical. "How is it fun if all you've been doing is gathering useless info and sitting around in your room all day?"

He was aware that Byakuya was also scouting everyone. That may be why he even bothered to show up to the meetings before the discovery of the library. With the books, he could form new ways to counter the competition.

"It is a pity that the only one having any fun is you, Sasaki," Byakuya hummed, eyeing Hisato to see his reaction. "Yes, I'm sitting here reading literature, but you actually got to participate in the game. Shame you couldn't understand such simple rules."

Hisato scowled, not happy with his reply.

"I did what I had to do in that situation. Do you honestly think I'm having fun when I've almost died four times now?" Memories of him almost getting pelted by bullets, him temporarily killing Monokuma, the night of Toko's death, and him almost attacking Monokuma again flooded his mind.

"Hmph. I don't expect any less of you, despite your shortcomings during the trial. You won't make it far though. Luck is Naegi's talent." Byakuya pushed his glasses closer to his face arrogantly. "That's the difference between everyone here and me. I won't die. It simply isn't possible."

_'I think that's the closest thing to a compliment that I'll get from Byakuya.'_ Hisato sweatdropped. However, he didn't like that he was predicting when he'd die.

Everyone else in the room shared the same opinion. Some more vocal than others.

Mondo, for example, blew up. "Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

Byakuya examined Mondo, head to toe before responding. "You know, I still can't believe it…"

"Believe what?!" Mondo demanded.

Byakuya cleared his throat.

"That an uneducated, brain-dead, useless piece of garbage like you has survived this long," Byakuya said coldly.

That's when all hell broke loose.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Mondo raged. He went to go get his hands on Byakuya but was held back by Taka and Hifumi.

"As I said, I won't die," Byakuya repeated confidently.

Hiro placed his hands on his hips, frowning. "You keep saying that, but-"

Celeste cut him off. "Do not bother arguing with him. For him, the concept of losing simply doesn't exist. He is the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. After all, a boy raised to succeed from the day he was born. He considers victory his destiny and has lived his life accordingly. Tests and challenges are merely ways for him to stand victorious. Even if it is a life-and-death situation. Is that not so, Togami-kun?"

She turned to face him with that deceiving smile of hers.

Byakuya snorted, "At least one of you seems to understand."

Celeste pushed further, which proved to be her fatal mistake. "It is because I am the same as you. Games are meant to be won."

"Are you trying to suggest we're on the same level? Close that vulgar mouth of yours."

Hisato expected Celeste to switch to her more vicious side to her. Instead, he got the opposite.

"Well, well. I do apologize."

_'Seriously? Why couldn't I get an apology?'_

"Anyway, let me say this to all of you." Byakuya was done conversing with the Ultimate Gambler. "You all need to try harder. If an opponent isn't going to give it their best, where's the fun for me?"

_'Ah. So that's why he's speaking to all of us. He wants us to not keep things stale for him.' _Hisato surmised, understanding Byakuya's true motive.

Much to his surprise, Chihiro spoke up.

"Th-that's a terrible way to look at it…" Tears were already dripping down her face. The conversation must have saddened her because of the topic of the killing game.

"Hmm?" Byakuya's head swiftly turned to Chihiro's direction.

"This… isn't a game. Our lives are on the line, you know…" Hisato felt bad since he referred to everything as a game too. "To kill your own friends is… is… it's horrific!"

"Gah. Chihiro…" Hisato groaned. His words must have meant nothing to her after he specifically made it clear that not everyone was their friends.

Byakuya quirked an eyebrow. "Friends? Who decided that?"

Chihiro stood there, stunned. "...Huh?"

"Chihiro… just please don't argue with that-" Hisato attempted to pull her away but she pushed him back. The action caused his jaw to drop.

Chihiro's eyes were filled with regret as quickly as she pushed him.

"We're not friends. No, quite the opposite. We're in competition. We're enemies."

"B-but… you know…"

"But what? Stop trying to force your contradictions on me and accept what I'm telling you."

"U-um…" Chihiro was at a loss for words. She was doing everything she could to convince Byakuya otherwise, even go so far as to pushing away Hisato so she could continue. None of that worked.

"Yes? If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, keep your mouth closed."

Chihiro bowed her head down in shame. "...I-I'm sorry."

Mondo looked ready to explode, but Hisato beat him to the punch.

"Don't say you're sorry Chihiro." She allowed him to push her away this time, and he took her place, challenging Byakuya. "You're really not shaping to be Mr. Popular, huh?"

"Please, Sasaki." Byakuya rolled his eyes. "You and I both know that making friends is futile. This isn't a popularity contest."

"Well, yeah I know that." Hisato's awkwardly coughed. "But that doesn't mean you can just act like an asshole to everyone."

"But you do that."

Point, Byakuya.

"Ugh. Forget it. You're not the one I have my sights on anyway." Hisato snapped his fingers and motioned his head towards the door. "We're out of here. We've got business to attend to."

Hisato took his leave. Chihiro quickly chased after him, not wanting to stay in the library any longer and also fully knowing what he meant by business.

"Haha! Yes! The side quest begins!" Hifumi grinned. He played the second most important role, he had the laptop in possession. Chihiro was the one with the most important role since she was the only one capable of getting it up and running.

He wondered why no one ever asked him what he had in his backpack. He wasn't complaining though. It just made this mission easier.

Normally, Junko wouldn't go with them, but she needed to in order to find out what Chihiro planned to do.

"Ya heard the bossman. Let's go crazy blue." Junko grinned madly as she snatched Sayaka's hand and dragged her out of the library.

"Huh? Maizono-san's with them now?" The jealousy from before returned. Makoto's lips shifted downwards.

_'So that's why Maizono-san and Sato-kun seemed closer. She silently became a part of their group.'_

"I don't have any intention of working with the rest of you any longer. To cooperate during an elimination game is…" Byakuya paused, thinking about what he just said. "...frankly, it's a waste of time. I'll let you all worry about Sasaki's group on your own. It sounds like one of you pulled the wrong string."

Everyone who was present in the cafeteria stared at Celeste, giving Byakuya the answer he sought.

"Have fun dealing with those five. Either you kill them or they'll wait until you picked each other off and finish up the rest. Don't forget Sasaki can make it happen," Byakuya said, believing that Hisato's relationship with Monokuma will give him the upper hand in the long run.

"We can shut down their team whenever the hell we want to!" Mondo shouted. He preferred not to initiate any tension between the girls, specifically Chihiro. But if it came to that point, he'd take down Hisato first, thus taking out the leader. Without him, their entire group will fall.

Or so he thought.

The Ultimate Bike Gang Leader had to admit that Hisato standing up for Chihiro earned him a few brownie points. However, his opinion of Hisato hasn't changed.

"All I'm saying is, ultimately, you are all free to do whatever you want on your own. Goodbye."

Byakuya left. There was nothing they could do to stop him.

"Do you really think Sasaki is planning that?" Hiro asked aloud, allowing himself to question Byakuya's strange way of thinking. He had the evidence too, that being Hisato's odd relationship with the sadistic bear.

"Of course not!" Makoto refuted. "I stand by my words!"

Makoto didn't seem like the type of person to lie about someone drastic. That eased up some nerves that people had.

"I-I guess you're right!" Hiro crossed his arms and laughed. "Accomplices can't escape too! I was worried for nothing!"

Hina, on the other hand, was more confused than nervous. "What are they up to though? Why haven't they told us anything?"

Needing five people to do a certain task did sound sketchy. She trusted the people involved that they weren't planning something underhanded. That didn't stop her curiosity from getting the best of her.

"I'm sure if we just ask them politely, we'll get the answer we want," Taka suggested.

"With Sasaki around? Fat chance!" Mondo shot down his suggestion in a flash.

Before another argument could break out, Sakura stepped in.

"Ishimaru is right. If they refuse, we'll ask again later. Now is not the time for that," Sakura said. It sounded like they had just started with whatever Hisato had in mind. Asking what they were doing so soon won't get them the answer they sought out for.

Her input satisfied just about everyone except Mondo. The latter of which kept his thoughts to himself. He wasn't looking to start an argument right now.

"Hey, Kiri-" Makoto went to look for the lavender haired girl but she was nowhere to be found. The sound of the door closing gave him the answer he needed.

Everyone followed Kyoko's lead and left the library.

Makoto was the last to leave. He couldn't get rid of his thoughts that circled around one certain individual.

_'What are you up to, Sato-kun?'_

* * *

Hisato, Junko, Hifumi, Sayaka, and Chihiro were on the first floor. They were currently making their way to the bathhouse.

"You have it on you, right Hifumi?"

"Right-o, Mr. Sasaki!" Hifumi exclaimed proudly.

"Good, good. Chihiro, I'm sure you know what to do from here on out."

Chihiro didn't respond. She stopped walking altogether.

"Something the matter Fujisaki?" Junko halted in place, showing concern for the Ultimate Programmer.

_'What now?'_ Hisato internally sighed, slouching his shoulders. He turned to face Chihiro, seeing her tremble.

"W-why did Togami-kun have to be so rude? I wanted him to be our friend!" Chihiro sniffled, failing to contain her sadness any longer.

Hisato cared for the girl, but her delicate nature was starting to get a little annoying.

"Alright. This is the last and only time I'll say this so listen up," Hisato announced, planning to end this right now. "Byakuya will not work with anyone so don't try to communicate with him. He'll gain more info with each interaction so please do avoid him whenever you can."

Byakuya intended to win the game, that much was obvious to everyone after the library interaction. It pinned him as a dangerous person to be around with, even if he wished to be away from his peers.

Hisato's main objective was to stop the killing game and survive with his small group of friends. If that somehow fails, there's always Plan B, which would set in motion immediately if the original plan failed.

His circle of trusted friends ended with Sayaka being the last one to be included. Having too many people would make Plan B harder to initiate.

"B-but…" Chihiro stuttered, not believing what Hisato was saying.

"You know, he's got a point," Junko agreed, shocking the meek girl. "Togami wants to win this stupid game. He clearly intends to kill one of us."

Hifumi rubbed his chin. "Mr. Togami is dangerous. I don't want anyone to die! Our party is the second thing I cherish the most!" He squealed.

Princess Piggles could never be topped.

"Sasaki-kun is right," Sayaka said hesitantly, wincing at the pairs of eyes looking her way. "I-I was the one who started the killing game. This is all my fault. I don't want anyone else to d-die. We can't let Togami ruin the peace!" She cried out, unleashing her hidden feelings for the ones she's trying to warm up to her. She also dropped any kind of honorific for Byakuya, losing respect for the blonde.

Everyone stared at her in a state of shock. She admitted that the killing game starting was her fault. Which truthfully, it was. Her actually taking responsibility is what shocked them.

None were more impressed than Hisato himself.

"Oh? Are you suggesting we do something about him?" Hisato grinned deviously. The grin died down when Sayaka tried to answer but got stopped by Hisato. "Unfortunately, we can't do anything because he hasn't technically done anything. People are going to hate us for it unless we have a legitimate reason. I'd rather not gain any more enemies."

Hisato was content with his numbers. Mondo was the only one who really had a problem with him. Being hated and outnumbered by the majority of the class will make surviving much harder.

Sayaka's eyes saddened. He did make a good point. She was doing her best to regain everyone's trust. Harming Byakuya would significantly hinder those chances.

"I know you're a real kind-hearted person Chihiro, but there are just some people who won't accept friendship. So quit wasting your time on them and use your time to work. The sooner we can find a way out, the better. You can worry about befriending that jerk _after_ we escape."

Hisato pushed her along, with Hifumi's backpack in hand. "Here, Hifumi was nice enough to pack you a spare change of clothes. Go on and take Junko with you to the bathhouse. I know you two have been dying to visit it," He said, raising his voice a bit. He winked at Chihiro so she would understand the plan.

Chihiro didn't feel any better about the Byakuya situation, despite usually following Hisato's words. However, since Hisato wished to move on, she did so too.

"H-huh? Why can't you go with me?" Chihiro asked innocently.

"Obviously you don't want to go with a boy, do you?" Hisato said as if it was the easiest thing in the world. "And I feel like you don't fully trust Saya-chan so Junko will accompany you."

The mixed bathhouse only provided one dressing room. Hisato doubted she'd want him to go with him seeing as he was male. Plus, it made it more believable to hear in case Monokuma was watching.

"C'mon Fujisaki, it'll be fun!" Junko bent down and swung her arm around Chihiro's shoulder, patting her head playfully.

"Hifumi, you can help me move some boxes to my room. Then we can try and make that fanfic you keep bugging me about," Hisato offered, mainly because he didn't want it to seem like he was using him. It was a fair trade.

"Deal!" Hifumi shouted eagerly.

Sayaka respectfully decided to stay silent. There was no point in arguing since Hisato was really the only one who trusted her. That tidbit still boggles her mind.

"Don't think you're gonna stay out of this Saya-chan. You can help with the inspiring climax!" Hisato dragged her along with him.

Hisato and Hifumi both retreated to the Library, dragging Sayaka along despite her cries of protest.

"Ready for some girl time Fujisaki?" Junko winked at the Ultimate Programmer, giggling cheekily.

Chihiro looked at the backpack she had in her arms. She could very well feel the weight of the laptop in it.

This was her opportunity to show everyone that she wasn't useless. Her skills may help them escape the school. She'd earn the respect of all of her peers.

Especially from Hisato. Chihiro could already picture the Ultimate Schemer showering her with nothing but praises. The thought of him doing so made her chest warm.

Then it came to her. She knew what she was going to do with the laptop now. She needed assistance to help her gather the information. No one knew programs like her.

_'An A.I wouldn't be too hard to program. The laptop looks brand new. If I programmed an A.I, it could help me break into the databases.'_

Chihiro smiled brightly, satisfied with her plan. The A.I wouldn't take her more than a day to complete. It could assist in her cracking down the data on the laptop while she wasn't there.

The A.I required a form to be based on. The first thing that came to mind was Hisato. Though, when Chihiro thought about it, she couldn't picture him as the A.I responsible for finding hidden files.

Her next thought was for the A.I to take the form of herself.

A wave of nostalgia hit her. She was reminded of those times when she was younger. She talked to her first program for hours while she was cooped up inside. Programming the A.I to be herself is essentially the same thing as talking to herself.

Chihiro couldn't imagine it being anyone but herself.

_'M-maybe I can program it to take on secondary forms… f-for entertainment purposes…'_

"Fujisaki! Are ya there?" Junko waved her hand in front of Chihiro's face. The Ultimate Programmer snapped out of her thoughts.

"O-oh! Sorry! We should be going!" Chihiro dashed to the bathhouse, hiding the embarrassed blush tracing her cheeks.

Junko remained in the hallway. A shadow cast over the top portion of her face. Her smile was quickly replaced with a nasty scowl.

_'Disgusting.' _She mentally gagged. _'Killing Fujisaki would've been a much easier task. Dammit…'_

Junko was given the liberty of receiving the boring assignment. Babysitting Chihiro wasn't what she signed up for. She wouldn't be able to understand most of what the Ultimate Programmer did.

The second motive couldn't come sooner.


	8. Ch 2: Case of Mistaken Identity III

**Author's Note: I decided to remove Sayaka from the main characters only because Kyoko will do a bit more than her. Since the cap is four characters, keep in mind that Sayaka is still important in the story.**

* * *

**Ding! Dong! Bing! Bong!**

"Good morning everyone! It is now seven a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!"

The daily morning announcement ended, signaling the start of a new day.

Makoto arrived to the cafeteria ten minutes after the announcement. He tiredly rubbed his eyes as he went on inside.

He scanned the cafeteria, spotting some of his classmates.

Taka looked to see if there was anyone behind Makoto. His uneasy frown didn't go unnoticed.

"Is this everyone…? It feels a little… small." Taka glanced at the table that everyone sat at since the first time they shared breakfast together. "Even the table looks bigger, somehow."

Byakuya, Hisato, Hifumi, Sayaka, Junko, and even Chihiro were absent.

Celeste twirled a lock of her hair. "I assume that is because two people are dead, and six are abstaining."

"Yeah, with eight people missing, I guess it _'would' _feel kinda empty," Makoto noted.

"Still…" Hina hugged her left arm. "I know Togami's whatever, but shouldn't we go check on Hisato-san, Maizono-chan, Enoshima-chan, Yamada, and Fujisaki-chan?"

Hiro shook his head. "I vote no. Sasaki and Maizono are ticking timebombs waiting to explode," He said uneasily. He had no quarrels with Hifumi, Chihiro or Junko, but Hisato and Sayaka were a different story.

He sorted them in the same category as Byakuya. They're all dangerous to be around.

"How can you be so cold? You are like a piece of rock candy," Celeste scolded the Ultimate Clairvoyant.

Hiro scratched his head, not understanding Celeste's choice of words.

"What?! No, rock candy isn't cold! It's sweet!" Taka refuted.

Celeste smiled, amused by their lack of understanding.

"Anyway." Mondo directed the conversation back to its original topic. "Togami and Sasaki are the real problem. If you don't keep an eye on them, they might really kill someone. You can see it in their eyes."

Byakuya's blood lust was made clear yesterday. He was waiting for the right moment to strike. Hisato on the other hand seemed intent on destroying Celeste's life at breakfast yesterday.

"We got no choice! Get some rope! We're gonna hafta keep them bound and gagged!" Mondo suggested violently.

Makoto sweatdropped. "I think that's going a little overboard…"

Taka jumped in, "He's right. In this situation, there's nothing scarier than when an ally turns loose cannon. It's just like when we were kids, and someone would go crazy at sports day or whatever!"

Taka's confusing comparison did not suit well with the Ultimate Bike Gang Leader's temper.

"What the fuck are you talking about?! You gonna use the rope to do tug of war or something? Idiot!"

Taka leaned his body back a bit, stunned by Mondo's insult. "I'm not an idiot…!" Taka did something that was uncharacteristic of himself. "YOU'RE an idiot!"

"Who are you callin' stupid?!"

The rest of the morning was spent between the two ultimates at each other's throats.

Still, their biggest concern right now were the other six, who never showed up to breakfast.

* * *

Makoto decided to get to the bottom of this. Six people not showing up was a big deal in his eyes.

Odds are Byakuya was in the library, which left Hisato, Chihiro, Sayaka, Hifumi, and Junko.

_'That's right. They're all in an sort of alliance together.' _It occurred to Makoto that those five people were working together. It only made him feel more anxious.

All of them being absent does warrant suspicion.

Sayaka wasn't pleased with him based on their interaction yesterday. He really didn't know Hifumi, Chihiro or Junko that well either. That left Hisato to be his first person of interest.

Makoto figured the Ultimate Schemer would be in his dorm, so that was the first place he checked.

Hisato's dorm room was right across from Hiro's. It seemed like a rather peculiar place to put a dorm room in.

Makoto rang the doorbell. After a minute, the door opened, revealing Hisato.

"Yes? Oh, Makoto! Nice to see ya!" Hisato started off annoyed, but quickly cheered up when he saw that it was Makoto. "Come in, come in."

Makoto politely accepted his offer and stepped in. He looked around Hisato's dorm room. Everything appeared to be the same since he came here during the first investigation.

One thing that stood out was the wall of papers on the wall.

"What brings you here anyway?"

"I'm making sure everyone that skipped breakfast is doing well," Makoto replied. "Speaking of which, do you know where Enoshima-san, Fujisaki-san, Maizono-san, and Yamada-kun are?"

"Of course I do." Hisato leaned against his wall of papers. "Saya-chan is in her room. Hifumi is in his too, finishing the work we did yesterday. Junko should be hanging around one of the classrooms on the second floor. And Chihiro is right over there."

He pointed at the lump under the covers of his bed. The lump slowly rose and descended.

"F-Fujisaki-san is sleeping here?!" Makoto shouted in surprise.

"Yes and I'd appreciate it if you didn't shout." Hisato shot a soft glare at Makoto. "Poor thing nearly passed out when I found her. I didn't want to search her body for her e-handbook while she was asleep so I brought her here."

"I guess that's okay…" Makoto let it slide for now. He knew Hisato had good intentions. He wouldn't have done anything to her while she was sleeping.

"Say, Makoto. You haven't seen my Wall of Hope's Peak Academy, have you?"

He moved out of the way so Makoto could have a perfect view of the wall.

Makoto's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing right now.

The first few things he saw right away was the pictures of all the students. Eight on the top, eight on the bottom. Leon and Toko's pictures were crossed out, for understandable reasons.

In the area around everyone's names were various amounts of information about them. He noticed Kyoko's name being connected to Jin Kirigiri by a line and Junko's being associated with a question mark.

Makoto also saw his name being connected with a line to Hisato's. Same went with Hifumi, Junko, Chihiro, Sayaka, and… Celeste.

_'Huh?'_ Celeste's portion piqued Makoto's interest. Underneath her name was: Real Name is Known

To add to the many questions circling Makoto's head, there was a drawing of a phone right above Hisato.

There weren't just information about the students. There was a basic map layout of the first and second floor. The bathroom on the second floor was circled in red.

The weirdest thing on the wall was the drawing of a cinnamon roll beside Chihiro's name.

"I thought I got rid of that!" Hisato quickly snatched the small drawing off, crumpled it, and tossed it in the trash can. He laughed nervously.

"Anyway… what do you think. It's a work in progress. It took me all night to set this all up," He stated proudly.

"All night..?" Makoto frowned disapprovingly. "Sato-kun, you shouldn't be awake during nighttime hours at all."

"Who cares whether I'm up at night or not?" He sneered. "It makes my job of collecting data easier. I couldn't sleep in my own bed for obvious reasons. This." Hisato motioned his hands at the wall. "It's far more important."

"If you say so. Still, you should get more rest!" Makoto advised him.

His eyes wandered to the middle of the wall. There was a silhouette of a person with a question mark, and the number seventeen beside it.

Hisato caught Makoto's eyes lingering on that certain area.

"It's just a theory, but I've been having a sneaky suspicion that there's one more person in this school. The seventeenth student to be more precise."

"The seventeenth student?" Makoto parroted.

"Yes, and I was just about to put the finishing touches for the night." Hisato said.

The Ultimate Schemer grabbed a pencil and started his pinpoint at the mysterious seventeenth student. He drew his line upwards, eventually stopping at a certain spot.

That spot was near Junko Enoshima.

"This wall aside, let's get out of here. I'll leave Chihiro a note when she wakes up."

Makoto and Hisato spent the rest of the morning in the cafeteria.

"I brought you some Mineral Water." Makoto handed him the bottle.

"Thanks. I've been getting a little thirsty anyway." Hisato accepted the gift and began drinking its contents.

_'Phew. It seems like he likes it.'_

Hisato put the bottle down and wiped his mouth. "Hey, Makoto… what are your thoughts on our situation?" He asked him out of the blue.

_'My thoughts on our situation?' _Makoto thought it was a little weird for him to ask that. It sounded like a question that should've been asked during the first day.

Hisato crossed his arms and looked to the side. "If you ask me, I believe we're not all getting out of here. There's simply no way someone else isn't dying before we do manage to escape."

"Sato-kun!" Makoto was shocked that he said that. "Everyone is getting out of here! We aren't losing anymore people!"

"You say that now, but you don't know these people on a personal level," Hisato huffed. "You don't know the extreme lengths they'll go through to get out of here. Look at Saya-chan and Leon, you wouldn't suspect them of being murderers but…"

He trailed off, hoping he got his point across.

"Maizono-san … she…" Makoto lowered his head, staring at the floor dejectedly.

"She still wants to be your friend, you know," Hisato revealed, eliciting the Ultimate Lucky Student to look up. "She knows she fucked up and thinks you don't want anything to do with her."

"I-I… I just want to talk about that night."

Hisato placed his hand behind his head. "Understandable. A lot of shit went down. You remember what Saya-chan did, right?"

Makoto nodded.

"Maizono-san wrote notes to you and… Leon to come to my room."

"Correct. Admittedly, I don't regret what happened. That's a little something you'll get from me Makoto." Hisato winked.

Makoto knew what he meant by this. He didn't feel any remorse at all from Leon's death. He almost made it sound like it was planned, but Makoto was better than to judge Hisato like an evil mastermind.

"I have no doubt Monokuma will hit us with another motive. Makoto, will you promise me you'll do everything in your power to not fall for it!" Hisato requested, pointing a finger at him.

"O-of course! I won't fall for Monokuma's tricks!" Makoto exclaimed. He believed Hisato. Monokuma's goal was to have one decisive winner. Surely, there'll be more hard hitting motives to get one of them to break.

"You have to promise me too, Sato-kun!" It was only fair he promises the same thing.

"Sure, sure. You've got my word." Hisato leaned in closer and grinned slyly. "Now, tell me what's going on between you and Kirigiri...?"

Makoto and Hisato grew a little closer that day. The Ultimate Schemer thought it was best to save his questions for a later encounter.

Makoto went back in his dorm room after his time with Hisato.

"Maybe hanging out with Enoshima-san next won't be such a bad idea. I haven't really interacted with her much."

If Makoto recalled correctly, Hisato told him she could be found hanging somewhere on the second floor. He wasn't exactly sure if she was still in one of the classrooms.

He headed out anyway, in search of the Ultimate Fashionista.

* * *

Hisato was on his way back to his dorm room to check on Chihiro until he bumped into someone.

"A-Ah! Sasaki!" Hiro, the Ultimate Clairvoyant, staggered backwards. Hisato's sudden appearance startled him. He placed his hands together in a praying manner. "Please don't hurt me!"

"The hell do you take me for?" Hisato clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You're the Ultimate Fortune Teller, aren't ya? Tell me my future."

"Actually, I'm the Ultimate Clair-"

"I don't have all day, Hiro."

Hisato was reminded that he needed to see the full power of Hiro's talent when he bumped into him. It didn't hurt to get more information on everyone's talent.

"R-right!" Hiro extended his arm forward and opened his hand, revealing a messily taped crystal ball. "Time to see the future of Hisato Sasaki, the Ultimate Schemer!"

Hiro closed his eyes and his brows furrowed. After a minute, he opened them and retracted his crystal ball back into his clothing.

"Hehe… geez Sasaki. That is… interesting." Hiro ran his hand through his wild hair and smiled nervously.

"There's no doubt about it! You're not gonna get out of here. You're not surviving!"

Hiro's declaration caused Hisato's face to pale.

He wasn't surviving? That didn't make any sense. He wouldn't… no one would kill him. He was untouchable… right?

"I see you getting impaled by a spike! Your death is not instant!" Hiro revealed more gruesome details of his prediction.

Hisato's hands began to shake._ 'N-no… I'm the guy making sure we all get out of here! I can't die… I won't…'_

"Hiro... how accurate are your predictions?" Hisato dared to ask.

"I'm right thirty percent of the time!" Hiro boasted, crossing his arms and laughing, despite the frightening news given.

_'Th-thirty?! Even if it's low, it has one third of a chance of it being accurate… dammit.'_

"Don't sweat it, Sasaki!" Hiro did his best to lighten the mood. "Now about the payment…"

Hiro grinned, planning to charge him a fortune for his work. However, Hisato brushed past his shoulder and trekked forward with a dull look in his eyes.

"Right! We'll discuss the payment when you can actually pay me!" Hiro paused and scratched his chin. "But if he does die, he can't freaking pay me when we get out of here! Gah! Dammit!"

He cursed aloud, accidentally dropping his already broken crystal ball. It shattered on impact yet again.

"Aw geez..."

* * *

The next morning followed the same procedure as the last. Byakuya, Hisato, Hifumi, Chihiro, Junko, and Sayaka failed to show up.

This would've been the same morning, but something drastic happened that threw everyone out of loop.

"Bahahaha! What are you talkin' about, bro?"

"Kahahaha! What are _'you'_ talkin' about, bro?!"

Taka and Mondo were laughing heartily, arms draped around each others shoulder.

Just yesterday they were at each other's throat. Now they were behaving like the best of friends.

"Geez. Can you two not be so loud in the morning." Hisato's voice came from the far end of the table.

Apparently, he was blocked from Makoto's vision due to sitting next to Sakura. He appeared incredibly fatigued. His head kept almost falling repeatedly.

"Sato-kun? Are you alright?" Makoto asked in concern for his friend.

"Not enough sleep…" Hisato muttered tiredly.

"I didn't expect you to be here. Are you joining us this morning?" It was a tad bit weird that Hisato showed up alone, without any of his friends.

Makoto figured he didn't catch any sleep last night. It raised concern for the Ultimate Schemer because he worked all night on his personal project the night prior.

"I wasn't planning on it. I only came to get something to eat and now Kirigiri is interrogating me," He mumbled sadly. Sitting right beside Hisato was the mysterious lavender haired girl.

"Don't exaggerate this, Sasaki-kun. I am not interrogating you." Kyoko narrowed her eyes sharply at the tired student.

"Makoto, she's your friend, right? Get her off my back," Hisato begged, wishing to return to his dorm room.

Makoto awkwardly rubbed his left arm. He didn't want to say it, but he and Kyoko weren't exactly friends. At least, he didn't consider them friends. He wasn't sure if Kyoko did, otherwise he'd hurt her feelings if he said so aloud.

There's only two people he thought of as friends during their time at Hope's Peak. One was Hisato, and the other was the girl who almost framed him for murder.

"We're not friends," Kyoko said coldly.

_'Ouch.' _Unfortunately, Makoto was the one who received the receiving end of rejection.

"Really? Tell me you at least have one thing on his report card." Hisato took out his e-handbook and showed it to Kyoko. He had only one extra tab on Makoto's report card, but it was enough to beat Kyoko.

"What's this feature?" Kyoko grabbed his e-handbook and examined it. The other tab besides Makoto's physical traits included a summary about himself.

It read:

**I still want to be Maizono-san's friend. She means too much to me. I can't fall for Monokuma's tricks. The motives won't get to me no matter how tempting they are. I made a promise to him… as he did too.**

_'He still isn't over her, and I assume Sasaki-kun is the one that Naegi-kun's referring too.'_ Kyoko surmised in her head. She found that there was also more information on Sayaka, Hifumi, and Junko's report card. Chihiro's report card appeared to be the one with the most, indicating that their friendship was closer than she thought.

"Mine works the same to," Makoto piped in.

Hisato rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It might be a protagonist thing. Anyway, don't go snooping through my discoveries!" He forcefully grabbed his e-handbook back from her and stuffed it in his pocket.

Kyoko's glare returned.

"You remember the deal, Kirigiri. I won't give you anything until I get what I want." Hisato folded his arms and gave her a stern look in response to her glare.

The two's heated staredown did not go unnoticed by their peers.

"You two seriously need to chill out," Hiro said carefully, in order to not direct their anger towards him. "You've been bickering since you got here."

"Yes, it's bringing down the mood," Sakura added in, equally annoyed with the two.

"You heard them, Kirigiri. Shut up!"

"Talk about having manners." Hina frowned.

"Sasaki! I know you didn't tell a girl to shut up!" Mondo, having been taught so by his brother, grew furious that Hisato was being so rude to a female.

"You tell him bro!" Taka nodded affirmatively. He and Mondo looked at each other and high-fived while laughing.

"What a pain… it's too early for all this yelling." Hisato finally stood up from his chair, having endured enough of his classmates' shenanigans. "Come to my dorm room this evening. I'm sure we can come to a compromise."

The Ultimate Schemer left shortly after. Kyoko sat in silence, contemplating his offer.

As one ultimate left, another arrived.

It was Chihiro Fujisaki. The girl looked just as exhausted as Hisato.

"Fujisaki-chan! We didn't seen you yesterday. I was getting worried!" Hina was the first to greet the frail girl.

Chihiro's entrance was enough to divert attention off of Kyoko from everyone.

"O-oh… well I was-"

"There is no excuse for not showing up yesterday! You agreed along with everyone else!" Taka boomed. His odd friendship with Mondo didn't affect his usual strict attitude to those who don't follow the rules in his book.

"Bro! Relax! I'm sure the chick has her reasons!" Mondo slung his arm back around Taka's neck.

Chihiro being a girl wasn't necessarily the reason he get Taka to lighten up on her. Secretly, he had grown a soft spot towards the Ultimate Programmer, especially after Byakuya yelled at her in the library. Not that he would ever admit it.

"Relax? Yes! I will relax! If that's what you think is best, bro!" The ambiance in the room returned back to normal.

"Those two…" Hina crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance. She was willing to accept their friendship for now since it meant Taka could be influenced to be more lenient towards everyone.

"Not that it's any of my business but what have you been up to, Fujisaki-san?" Makoto asked curiously as she sat down at her usual spot beside Hina.

Chihiro hesitated, "I've been working on something…" She twiddled her thumbs, refusing to look him in the eye.

She felt bad enough as it is to keep the A.I she's programming a secret. It's nearly complete. It needed a couple more speech patterns until she could begin to use the A.I to sneak its way to the school database.

Hisato regularly checked up on her while she worked mainly in the bathhouse. She didn't understand why she couldn't work in her room. The heat in the bathhouse hindered her abilities down a notch.

Chihiro pushed through for two reasons. One so she wouldn't risk disappointing Hisato, and the other reason was because she thought it'd make her stronger.

Last night, Hisato alerted her that people were coming to her location. She hid the laptop in a locker and pretended to look busy. Thankfully, the people who barged in didn't seem to notice her at all.

She saw Mondo and Taka stay in the sauna to see who was more of a man. That gave her the idea that staying in grueling hot temperatures could make her stronger.

However, as of right now, she didn't have the courage to lie to Makoto's face.

"You were with Sasaki-kun, I presume?" Kyoko spoke, startling Chihiro. Her reaction solidified her presumption.

"I-Is that bad…?" Chihiro whimpered, cowering in her chair.

Before Kyoko could even respond, someone beat her to the punch.

"Of course it's bad! Sasaki's a bad dude!" Mondo jeered.

Makoto heard an exasperated sigh come from Kyoko. It confirmed that she held no ill feelings towards Hisato, despite their arguments.

Or it could just mean she's sick of hearing Mondo rant how bad Hisato is. Quite frankly, Makoto was sick of it too.

"N-no… no he isn't…" Chihiro weakly defending, trembling from the fierceness in Mondo's voice. "S-Sasaki-sama is kind!"

"Yeah. You should lay off a little." Hiro suggested nervously, his face paling when Mondo cast his sights on him. "Or not…"

"Sasaki's a no good, rotten traitor! I wouldn't be surprised if he stabbed everyone in the back and revealed himself as Monokuma's ally!"

"B-bro? I think they are right. Sasaki-kun hasn't done anything wrong. He was set up by Kuwata-kun, remember?" Taka attempted to ease the nerves of his bro, as he did to him.

Mondo thought about his best friend's words. It is true that Hisato hadn't done anything particularly wrong other than almost getting everyone killed because of Leon's bidding. Now that he thought about it, it was Leon who suggested that Hisato needed to be watched back during the first few days of their arrival.

"You do have a point, bro." Mondo's pent up anger disappeared. It was replaced with a face filled with remorse. The reason for that is because he looked back at Chihiro and saw her on the verge of tears.

"Ah I see. So Owada made you depressed." Hina observed the scene and narrated what she saw based off of Mondo's harsh remarks. She had a hunch on why Chihiro got upset.

"What?!" Mondo didn't take being accused lightly. "How is it _'my'_ fault?! I wasn't tryin' to be mean! I'm just lookin' out for everyone!" He countered, truly believing he had good intentions.

"Gh…" Chihiro couldn't hold her tears back any longer. The first wave of tears slowly began to surface.

"A-are you... crying…?" Mondo stood there, bewildered by what he was witnessing. He had never been in this position before. What was he supposed to do? How could he fix this?

Hina pouted, "It's cuz you were screaming like a lunatic and you're being insensitive to a girl's feelings!"

"Nng…" Chihiro hiccuped as more tears fell from her face.

"Hey, c'mon, don't cry… it's my fault, okay? I won't yell at you anymore…" Mondo apologized awkwardly. He rarely ever apologized to someone, especially in front of others.

"Really? Not sure I can believe that," Hina said, doubt present in her eyes.

"J-just shut up…" Mondo grunted. He crossed his arms and looked away. "...What do you mean by being insensitive anyway…"

Typical Mondo, telling someone to be quiet and then asking them for help. He needed to find out what Hina meant so his apology won't be traced with a lack of understanding.

Not knowing what you're apologizing for can rub someone the wrong way.

"You boys can be so dense sometimes." Hina shrugged her shoulders. "Why would a girl cry over a boy?"

"Because I yelled at her!" Mondo answered, causing her to facepalm. "What?! Tell me then!"

"I shouldn't need to tell you how to apologize to someone…" Hina grumbled.

"Come on, bro! I know you can think of it!" Taka encouraged him to think about it some more.

_'She only started crying after I said some stuff about Sasaki. The swimming girl mentioned something about hurting a girl's feelings.'_ Mondo thought about his dilemma. He was convinced it had something to do with Hisato, but what exactly?

_'Why would Fujisaki cry over him? I don't think it matters, I know what I must say.'_ Mondo decided to not go any deeper figuring out the real reason.

"I'll make you a promise as a man!"

That quickly piqued Chihiro's curiosity. She tilted her head up slightly, eyeing Mondo with her wet hazel eyes. "Promise… as a man?"

Mondo tightened his fists. "Maybe I mentioned this before, but ever since I was a kid, there was only one thing my brother told me over and over again. He said no matter what, a real man 'always' keeps his promises. That's what he left me," He said, hiding his true feelings behind his stoney face.

"B-brother?" This was the first time Mondo mentioned a brother to Taka. "What do you mean left me, bro?" He questioned sternly.

"Oh yeah…" Mondo hung his head. "My brother's dead."

"B-bro…" Taka had no idea what to say after that. He didn't want to push his boundaries, but he couldn't help but worry.

"Anyway, I don't want to talk about it. Don't wanna make you guys cry!" Mondo went back to being his usual self, making some of the students present sag their shoulders. "You can trust me when I make that promise. So you don't gotta cry anymore!"

The Ultimate Bike Gang Leader gave Chihiro a grin and a thumbs up, showing that there was truth in his words.

"S-so you and Sasaki-sama will get along and be friends?" Chihiro asked innocently, wiping some of the tears on her face.

"Wh-?! I don't know about being friends…" Mondo was more in favor of tolerating Hisato without interacting with him. Being friends was not on his agenda.

"B-but you said…" Chihiro stuttered, hurt that Mondo was already taking back his words.

"Alright! Alright! I promise I'll… try to be friends with Sasaki..." Mondo caved in. He wasn't going to go back on his promise after Chihiro called out his hesitation.

_'A man never breaks his promise, no matter how much you resent it. You can't take back what you say._' Mondo repeated in his head.

It's a lesson his brother taught him and he'll be damned if he ignored it.

"O-okay." Chihiro got out of her slump and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Owada-kun!"

"S-sure!" Mondo faintly flushed, not used to receiving gratitude. He placed a hand on the back of his neck and look down at the floor. "Geez. It's as if you like Sasaki or something."

Chihiro froze in sudden shock. She felt her whole face heat up as she tried her best to hide it.

Mondo; however, caught this and wondered what was wrong with her. All he said was that it's as if she…

Oh.

_Oh._

All it took for Mondo to finally understand it was speaking whatever came to mind.

_'That's what she meant by being insensitive.' _Mondo gulped. He's never dealt with this situation before. He didn't even know if his hunch was correct.

"Hahaha! That's my bro! He's as considerate as ever!" Taka laughed proudly.

Mondo chose to forget about Chihiro's hidden interests and laughed along with his closest friend.

All throughout breakfast that morning, the room was dominated by Mondo and Taka's overpowering brotherhood. Aside from cheering up Chihiro, it was an unfortunate experience for those in the cafeteria.

* * *

**Ding! Ding!**

The doorbell to Hisato's room rang. He sighed dejectedly, putting his pencil above his ear and went to open the door.

It was Makoto. The dejection on Hisato's face was replaced with a neutral look.

"I'm glad you weren't Kirigiri. I'm not prepared for our meeting yet. Did you need something?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out?" Makoto asked, finding this as a good time as ever to hang out.

"Let's make it quick. I'm not too keen on wasting a lot of time today." Hisato invited him in.

They talked about various subjects, including strategies to deal with the possible next motive.

They grew a little closer that day.

Makoto nervously emptied out his pockets and found a cassette tape. He handed it to Hisato and waited to see his reaction.

"You're giving this to me…? Thanks, I'll put it to good use for sure." Hisato flashed a small smile and stored the item in safe keeping.

_'He seemed to really love the present.'_

A couple of minutes went by in complete silence.

_'Sato-kun isn't talking. I wonder what's on his mind.'_

"Hey, Makoto. Do you know what a schemer is?" Hisato asked, breaking the silence.

_'Looks like he wants me to answer this. I've been around Sato-kun for a long time… I should know this.'_

"A schemer is someone who makes shady plans, right?"

Hisato chuckled, "Hit the nail right on the head. I don't blame the others for being cautious of me. I would've preferably been fine with the Ultimate Strategist or Tactician. Don't those have a positive connotation?"

"The Ultimate Strategist does sound cool." Makoto nodded, picturing a person from one of the many spy movies he's seen. "But don't they all mean the same thing?"

Hisato looked at him as if he grew another head.

"Are you serious? Of course there's a difference!" He exclaimed in disbelief. Was he that daft? "A strategist simply makes the plan. A tactician is the one that executes it. A schemer though, they can do both. That's what makes us so special. We can be both the thinker and the executor."

"It's just like you said Makoto, the plans we usually devise are shady ones. It's what gives us a bad reputation. I can't completely refute it nor do I like it." Hisato frowned, casting his eyes to the side.

Makoto gulped, "S-so… have you done bad things?" He regretted asking him when he saw Hisato's jaw tightened.

"I can't deny it. I've done many bad things in the past. They were originally harmless pranks that later got uglier as I grew up. It reached its peak towards the end of middle school. I.. think that's why I got scouted." His hesitation did not go unnoticed by Makoto. He sounded unsure of himself, which was weird considering he should know why he got scouted.

Makoto got scouted because of the drawing that he won. It sounded pitiful compared to his peers.

_'Whatever must be the scheme he pulled at the end of middle school must be why he got scouted. I don't remember him doing anything though, so why does he look so anxious? What could he have possibly done?'_

Unfortunately for Makoto, Hisato didn't want to talk about it. That much was obvious judging from his face.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. If it was, the school wouldn't have allowed you to attend! You have a talent that isn't plain like mine. You earned yours so you should be proud of it!" He said euphemistically.

Hisato merely shook his head. "If only you knew…" Shortly after, he left to go to the bathhouse.

Makoto understood the hint and silently left too.

* * *

After checking in on Chihiro and forcing her to stop working for the rest of the day, Hisato went back to his dorm room to rendezvous with Kyoko as planned.

At least, he hoped she'll showed up. He didn't wait for an answer. What she yearned was something only he could give her, so it was expected that she wouldn't no-show.

A few minutes passed by and the inevitable doorbell ring came.

_'You got this. You know what you want and you can convince her to help.' _With his pep talk out of the way, Hisato opened the door and sure enough, Kyoko stood there.

"Kirigiri! What a surprise!"

"...You invited me here."

Hisato sweatdropped. "So I did! Come, come! Excuse the mess!"

Kyoko entered his room and was disappointed to find his room littered with paper. She carefully made her way around the small obstacles.

Her eyes darted to the wall. There was a covering that hid a large portion of it.

"What are you hiding?"

A smirk developed on Hisato's face. "That thing? Only Makoto and Chihiro have seen it. Well, Makoto is the only one who got a full tour of it. Chihiro didn't really seem that interested in it."

"You haven't shown any of your lackeys what's behind this then?"

"No offense to them, but…" Hisato awkwardly chuckled. "They wouldn't be able to comprehend what I'm up to. The less people that know, the better. Also, they aren't my lackeys, they're my friends."

Kyoko grabbed the edge of the tarp and started to pull it up.

"Hey!" Hisato rushed over and slapped the tarp back down. "You can't just go snooping into someone's business! No funny business, Kirigiri. I've made sure to tell at least one person of our meeting in case things go awry."

"..." Kyoko didn't say anything. She left the tarp alone for now and sat on the chair beside the desk.

"Correct me if I'm mistaken but what you want to know from me is about-" Hisato silenced himself after seeing Kyoko's eyes sharpen. "And what I want from you is your talent. Easy trade."

Kyoko closed her eyes, smiling lightly.

"I _can't_ do that."

Hisato rolled his eyes. "I expected as much. You and I are a lot more alike than you think." He said.

Kyoko understood what he meant by that. She didn't question him on it, seeing how he didn't pry either.

"That's why I'm proposing something else. I observed you during Leon's trial. You and Makoto saved my ass."

"Your point?"

"I propose a partnership, just between us two." This caught Kyoko's attention. "It can be a secret or not depending on what you want. The only way we'll get out of this place is if we uncover the mystery behind Hope's Peak Academy. There's so much we need to learn. It's not a one person job."

Kyoko was definitely the only person he could entitle as his partner. Leon's class trial is where Kyoko shined. If not for her, everyone wouldn't have given him a chance to defend himself.

As far as things go, Kyoko was more of a valuable asset in discovering mysteries early on. Makoto was more useful in figuring things out as a conversation goes on.

It's the main reason why he hasn't fully shown anyone his board besides Makoto. His friends wouldn't understand. They would just slow him down investigating. He needed someone with the necessary skills to unveil the mysteries surrounding Hope's Peak.

That someone was Kyoko Kirigiri. It was just his luck that she wanted something from him.

"..." Kyoko crossed her arms and look off to the side. Hisato studied her face, hoping to get some sort of reaction from her. As per usual, her stoic face didn't change.

It became apparent to Hisato that she was going to reject the offer.

"I expected this. This might sway your answer." Hisato tossed a file on the desk. It had nothing written on the cover like the ones Kyoko previously uncovered during the investigation.

She opened the file without any hesitation. Her eyes locked on to the paper and moved left and right, skimming through the words.

When she finished reading, her fingers tightly clenched file. Her hardened stare focused on the center of what she was reader.

"Where did you find this?"

"I didn't necessarily find it. I pieced two and two together. And it isn't one hundred percent accurate. My mind's a bit fuzzy on the subject but I'm fairly certain this is as close as it gets."

Hisato leaned his back against the wall and folded his arms. He closed his eyes for a moment, rejoicing his luck.

It was luck that got him the necessary information needed to convince Kyoko. Getting to meet a certain father was pure chance. If he hadn't done what he did, the encounter would have never happened.

In a turn of events, his talent was becoming more and more useful as the killing game progressed. He frequently perceived his talent as a burden. No one liked him because of it. All the terrible experiences that came along with his talent were finally starting to turn around for the better.

He learned a lot from Kyoko during the short span of time they talked. The fact that they both have some sort of memory loss is odd on its own. Kyoko's subtle hint at her own memory loss explained why she kept on refusing to tell him her talent. The issue Hisato was dealing with was something he had suspected for a while now; the possibility of fal-

"I'll do it with the condition of you telling me everything." Kyoko finally spoke. Her decision elated the Ultimate Schemer.

"Fantastic! I'll let you in on everything I know. We can start collaborating right away!" Even if Kyoko can be laconic at times, she can still get her point across with few words.

Hisato grabbed the edge of the tarp on the wall, ready to unveil his entire collection of theories.

Then.

**Ding! Dong! Bing! Bong!**

The intercom powered on.

"Ahem! School announcement, school announcement. Nighttime is quickly approaching, but before it arrives... all students, please gather in the gym immediately. Emergency! Emergency!"

The announcement ended. What Hisato thought was another nighttime announcement took an eerie twist.

"The gym?" Hisato let go of the tarp, much to Kyoko's frustration. "This might be another motive. Dammit. I should know better than to get too comfortable around here. We better get going, Kiri-chan."

For a moment, Kyoko froze in place. She clutched her forehead momentarily. A streak of pain flashed past her eyes, all of which was missed by Hisato.

"What did you call me?" Kyoko asked, though fully knowing the answer. She fought past the pain so he wouldn't suspect something was up.

"Kiri-chan?" Another surge of pain enveloped her head. "Since we'll be partners now, we need catchy names to call each other. Those are unspoken rules. Like Sherlock and Watson."

Kyoko soon got over the strange wave of pain. She had a feeling as to why it happened.

"You've read Sherlock Holmes?"

"Of course I have. The best way to come up with the best schemes is to renovate past ones to their full potential. What better way to learn than to read what those crazy loons thought could fool 'ol Sherlock Holmes."

Kyoko nodded approvingly. At least things were certainly not going to be boring.

"If we're speaking famous mystery novels, the novels by the _'Ellery Queen' _are the ones I've been interested in for a while…"

* * *

Kyoko arrived in the gym alone. Hisato said he had to stop by the school store. Whether it was a lie or not, she didn't care. He can look out for himself just fine.

The rest of the students soon made their way inside one by one.

Something Kyoko did find peculiar was that Junko, Chihiro, and Hifumi did not come as a group, nor did they rendezvous. They appeared to be on separate agendas.

It was only five minutes into the argument between the students that Hisato showed up.

He missed what Hiro said due to his tardiness. He was unknowingly lucky once more because had he arrived a minute later, he would've been considered tardy by Monokuma.

He did not greet any of his friends. His eyes darted to the podium at the front of the gymnasium. Monokuma jumped up from the stage and sat on the podium.

"He's arrived."

Monokuma chuckled darkly. "What he heard wasn't the sound of construction but it could have been an explosion! Or maybe a machine g-"

"Cut to the chase bear!" Hisato cut him off, raising his voice. He didn't know what they were talking about and frankly didn't have any interest in it. "I've got things to do and you yapping isn't going to make things quicker!"

"Kyaaaaaa!" Monokuma shrieked in a voice that certainly did not belong to him. "Sato-chan yelled at me! What's with these rebellious teens? You all are going to break my angelic little heart."

Everyone deadpanned.

"You damn teens are so cruel! Counterculture still lives on strong!" Monokuma huffed. "I'll be frank then. The next blackened hasn't showed up yet, and I'm getting boooored! So, I've decided to come up with a new way to_ 'motivate'_ you!"

Makoto's entire body stiffened. His face paled and his eyes immediately cast over to Sayaka.

Motivation. The last time Monokuma used that word, he gave everyone the tapes and caused Sayaka to make the first move.

Sayaka glanced at Makoto too. When their eyes locked eye contact, Sayaka quickly looked away frightened.

Makoto was afraid. He surveyed all of the people present. If Monokuma's motives can make the nicest girl he's ever me turn into a potential murderer, what chance did everyone have to avoid another murder?

_'N-no! I need to trust them! What happened with Leon… we all vowed to never let it happen again. We can overcome whatever he throws at us!'_

"Is it another set of videos or something? Are you gonna show us some demented thing to try and drive us all to murder?!" He accused the bear bravely. "It won't work! I won't let it work! There's… no way I can let it happen again."

Monokuma giggled at his cute outburst. "Drive you to murder?! What a mean thing to say! Just awful!"

Taka joined in, "I don't know what you've got planned, but we're not going to kill each other anymore! No matter what you do, I swear to God we won't!"

The Ultimate Moral Compass nodded at Makoto, fully supporting his declaration.

"Hmm. That's very big talk. Do your best to back it up, okay?" Monokuma taunted. With no more rude interruptions, he continued. "Now then, with your permission, let me begin!"

Makoto balled his fists and faced Monokuma with a determined stare.

"So, this time, it's… embarrassing moments and secrets!" He announced lovingly. "As long as you're alive, it's a given that there's things you don't want other people to know about you! So I did a little investigation of my own, and I dug up some of your darkest secrets!"

Monokuma held a set of envelopes out of seemingly nowhere.

"And those embarrassing memories and secrets are all contained in the envelopes I have right here! I'm going to hand them out now, so take a second to take a peek!"

As Monokuma spoke, he tossed the envelopes at everyone's feet.

Makoto reached out for his and nervously pulled out what was written inside. He knew for a fact that he didn't have any dark secrets. He was just an ordinary boy after all. Still, it didn't make him any less nervous about the envelope.

Makoto's body went rigid.

"**Makoto wet the bed until he was in the fifth grade."**

"What…!?" Makoto gasped.

"H-how…!?" Hina shrieked.

"How'd you find out about this?!" Taka asked, mortified.

As soon as everyone read their envelopes, they all talked at once.

"You have twenty-four hours! If someone doesn't become the blackened by then… all of your deepest, darkest, most embarrassing secrets will be exposed to the world!"

The new motive was set in stone. Secrets will be revealed by Monokuma if no one commits a murder by tomorrow.

"So that's what you meant by motivate?" Makoto inquired.

"Yup! You got it. They're all pretty unpleasant, trust me. None of you want me to reveal that stuff, right?"

Makoto thought about it. "It's definitely something I'd rather people not know, but we'd never kill over something like that!"

"W-what did you say?!" Monokuma stammered.

"He's right!" Taka agreed. "Your plan is doomed to fail! No one's gonna murder someone for this kind of thing!"

Monokuma hung his head low, saddened. "O-oh… no. Is it because… for better or worse, your memory is still a way to connect to the outside world? I have stuff I wouldn't want anyone to know no matter what, so I assumed you'd all be the same which is why I put so much effort into preparing the next motive."

Monokuma angrily stomped his foot and turned around. "Maaan! You're saying you really won't kill each other over this stuff? That just sucks! Well… what can ya do? Okay, then in twenty-four hours, I'll expose all your secrets just to make myself feel a little better! So sad, so depressed! Farenotwell!"

A depressed Monokuma disappeared into the depths of the gym.

After a minute of silence, someone spoke.

"I didn't know what to expect at first, but… maybe we dodged a bullet on this one?" Hina said. "I mean yeah, having those secrets revealed is gonna be totally embarrassing, but that's seriously not enough to give someone a reason to kill, right?"

Taka nodded, taking the lead. "Good news, everyone! I have a brilliant idea! Why don't we all just confess the secrets in those envelopes right here and now?! If we do that, and all motive for murder will vanish! That's pretty smart, right?" He smiled proudly.

Taka took a second to muscle up his courage before going on with his plan. "Okay, so my embarrassing thing is… it's about my grandfather, Toranosuke Ishimaru, the former Prime Minister of Japan. He was involved in a disastrous scandal that has shamed our family name. His business collapsed and we're still in debt to this day."

Taka couldn't bear to look at anyone. His family name was ruined. He assumed everyone will look down on him now. No one will listen to him anymore.

Makoto stepped in, "It's okay… Taka-kun. We won't judge you for something you had no control over. Your bravery is commendable. No one should be judging anyone's secret. That defeats the whole point of this." He directed his words to everyone in the gym.

"Thanks, Naegi-kun." Thanks to Makoto's words of encouragement, Taka began to relax once he saw that no one was disappointed in him. His eyes stopped on Hifumi.

"I guess I'll go next." Hifumi volunteered to share his secret. It wasn't as shocking as Taka's in his opinion. He was rather proud of it in fact. "I'm deeply in love with Princess Piggles!"

Sayaka gaped, "You mean what we did in your fanfic…"

"Hahaha! Yes! My love for 2-D is as strong as the mighty blast of a… KAME-HAME-HAAAAAAAA!" Hifumi exclaimed passionately. A small burst of aura blasted the area surrounding him, at least in his eyes.

"Why the hell do you love a fictional character?!" Hiro shouted in shock.

Hifumi chuckled, steam coming out of his nose. "She's as real as I want her to be! You just don't understand our eternal love you uncultured maggot!"

Everyone sweatdropped.

"Geez. I knew you were weird… but this is beyond crazy." Hina shook her head.

"Yes. This is truly a disturbing sight." Celeste frowned, equally unsettled.

"My secret isn't disgusting, unlike Yamada's secret!" Hiro had the same idea as Hifumi. "I bought this crystal ball for one-hundred million yen! There's nothing embarrassing about it! It's been passed down by Napoleon, Genghis Khan, and even George Washington!"

"One-hundred million yen?!" Hifumi's jaw dropped. He could only ever imagine possessing that amount of money.

"W-where did you get that type of money?!" Hina asked, bewildered.

Hiro nervously touched his hair. "About that… I got some snobby rich dude to spend almost his entire fortune on readings."

"Hagakure, really?" Sakura had a blank look on her face.

"In my defense, I told him how he was going to die. A year later it was all over the news!" Hiro pointed out, not making the situation better.

"That's not fair! The only secret you revealed is that you're the biggest idiot in the whole world," Junko said snidely.

"Now, now. We aren't here to make fun of everyone's secret, even how ridiculous it is," Taka reminded her. "Ogami-san, why don't you go next?"

Sakura shut her eyes but didn't say anything, being one of the first to not openly share her secret.

"That's okay, Sakura-chan! It's normal to be a little shy." Hina understood Sakura more than anybody. If there was anyone who knew how she was feeling, it was her. "I'll go. One time, when I was training in the school pool, my swimsuit accidentally came off and I had to hide underwater for hours until everyone left!"

"Don't schools reserve that kinda stuff for guys and girls to go at separate times?" Hiro questioned.

Hina blushed, "The thing is, I begged the gym teacher to let me use the pool whenever I want! There's a male teacher for the boys and a female teacher for the girls. I couldn't ask the male teacher to look for my swimsuit!"

"Yeah. I guess telling the teacher to look for a swimsuit will draw attention to you."

"Thank you for sharing, Asahina. It's time I share my secret as well." Hina smiled at that. "My secret is that I'm in love with a man named Kenshiro."

"Huh? The Ogre has feelings?!" Hiro cried out, only to receive a punch from Hina.

"Don't be rude! I think it's sweet that that's your secret Sakura-chan!"

"It's not so sweet as you think," Sakura said. "Kenshiro is in critical condition as we speak. He caught a terminal illness, but he managed to fight it, as expected from the Strongest Human Alive."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "The message boards I've read say that you're the Strongest Human Alive."

"That may be true, but Kenshiro passed down that title to me. I have yet to defeat him. As soon as he recovers… I'm going to earn my title the correct way." Sakura pounded her fists together, intimidating her peers. A battle between the former and current Strongest Human Alive will be one for the record books.

"That's why we're doing this. We'll get rid of this motive and continue resisting until we get out! Then you can have your battle with your true love!" Hina cheered. Her words brought a sincere smile to Sakura's face.

That wasn't all. Sakura's secret motivated one particular student to speak up.

Sayaka was moved by Sakura's speech. She decided it was better to get it over with and off her chest.

"My secret is that I destroyed someone's career to become the lead singer of my idol group," Sayaka confessed, garnering the same frightened expressions she got used to over the past few days.

"M-Maizono-san?" Yet another horrifying secret that Makoto learned from Sayaka. To destroy someone's career… something they worked years to pull off was sickening. Now he knew what she meant when she told him she did bad things in order to get to where she was.

"This chick gets crazier and crazier!" Hiro plastered his hands against his ears, blocking his hearing.

"Doing whatever it takes to come out on top isn't that uncommon," Celeste argued.

"Still messed up if you ask me," Junko added in.

It was Makoto's turn.

He gulped nervously, "I... I wet the bed until the fifth grade."

The gymnasium went quiet for a full ten seconds. Then it erupted in laughter.

"Naegi? Please tell me you're joking!" Hiro snickered.

"I'm not…" Heat rushed to Makoto's face, making him look as red as a tomato.

"Your mom had to clean your bed sheets every week, didn't she?" Junko grinned cheekily.

Hina failed to suppress her giggle. Even Sakura cracked a small smile for a split second.

Although it was supposed to be embarrassing, Makoto was glad that he cleared up the thick atmosphere. If his secret brought smiles to his classmates, then he was okay with that.

"That's enough laughing. We still have more people to get to before the nighttime announcement," Kyoko warned them.

"Why don't you go next, Kirigiri-san?" Makoto proposed.

"Very well." She maintained her composure flawlessly, even when she was going to reveal her secret. "My secret… is this."

Kyoko pulled off one of her gloves. Gasps filled the gymnasium as they all stared at her hand with eyes as wide as plates. No one knew what to say.

"...What happened?" Makoto asked, eyes glued on her hand.

Kyoko slipped her glove back on. "Togami-kun, you haven't gone yet." She dodged his question, confusing the Ultimate Lucky Student.

Byakuya scoffed, "I never agreed to this. Who do you all think you are asking me to do such a thing? I'm not a part of this."

He moved toward the door, ready to leave.

Sakura and Hina quickly blocked his path. They both had stern expressions on their faces.

"You've got to be kidding me." Byakuya pinched the bridge of his nose, irritated. "Fine. If that's what it takes to end this then so be it. My secret is I have someone I care for, my butler, Aloysius Pennyworth."

He showed them his slip of paper, confirming his secret is valid.

Hifumi sweatdropped, "That was very anticlimactic."

"For embarrassing secrets, most of these weren't all that bad after all," Hina commented.

So far, the only intense secret was Sayaka's.

"Silence! My secret isn't something to be looked over. Don't group it with your pathetic secrets," Byakuya sneered.

"With an attitude like that, it's hard to imagine you actually care for someone." Hiro placed his hands on his hips, frowning.

"I don't care what you think." Byakuya looked around. "Five of you still need to share. If I had to do it, so should you."

Everyone separated themselves from the final five: Celeste, Chihiro, Mondo, Junko, and Hisato.

"Celeste?"

Celeste suppressed her anger of having to go first. "I'm not on board with this plan but since I must, my secret is-"

"Hold on! Hold on!" Monokuma descended from the rafters and landed in the center of the gym. "You rotten kids actually pulled through with sharing your secrets! This is not acceptable at all... which is why there's a new addition to the motive!"

"What?! You can't do that!" Makoto shouted angrily. All their hard work and courageous actions were about to be all for nothing. It took a lot of courage to confess their secrets.

"Don't you fret, young Naegi! This doesn't affect any of the students who have already shared their secret," Monokuma assured him, causing some to sigh a breath of relief. "You five! If anyone of you lie about your secrets then it will result in all five of you getting your secrets shared over on the intercom! This new part of the motive is effective immediately!"

Monokuma laughed and threw a smoke bomb on the ground, disappearing once the smoke cleared out.

"Is that it?" Hiro wondered aloud. He chuckled confidently. "What a dumb extension to the motive! We were all going to share our secret regardless."

Hina nodded ecstatically. "All right! We're all going to make it through this after all! Celeste, please continue!" The revealing of secrets commenced back to Celeste.

Something was wrong though. Celeste didn't look all too eager to share her secret like she was before Monokuma added the final part of the motive.

"Celeste?"

"..."

The Ultimate Gambler continued to stay silent. It was then that everyone realized that she really had planned on lying. Now that she couldn't, she refused to take part in the revealing anymore.

"Miss Fujisaki?" Hifumi turned his attention to Chihiro, who had been fairly quiet since the motive was first announced.

"..." Chihiro wished she could run away and hide in her room. Each pair of eyes that bestowed upon her made her heart beat ever so faster. Her rapid breaths added to her frightened shift in emotions.

"Enoshima?" Sakura questioned the Ultimate Fashionista's silence as well.

"..." Junko crossed her arms and looked to the side, avoiding meeting their gazes. She scowled deeply, irked by the outcome of Monokuma's final announcement.

"B-bro? Not you too…" Taka called out to Mondo. Why he wasn't confessing his secret was a complete mystery to him.

"..." Mondo directed his eyes to the ground. His fists shook madly. He couldn't even form words to say anything to his brother.

Unlike Byakuya, Mondo stormed out of the gymnasium without anyone stopping him.

Junko, Celeste, and Chihiro followed suit. No one bothered to stop them either.

The only person left who hasn't shared their secret is Hisato. A dark shadow illuminated his face.

"S-Sato-kun… you promised." Makoto reminded him sadly.

Hisato looked down at his paper with his secret on it.

**"Hisato murdered his best friend and her family."**

It seemed that he was right after all. He questioned himself, wondering why on earth did he listen to Sayaka. Of course this wasn't fake. It was real, all of it. He wasn't the delusional one, she and Makoto were.

The hard truth filled him with despair. He had a small hope that it wasn't true, but that came crashing down when he read his letter. The reality of the situation he was placed in finally took its course.

_'I-I didn't mean to kill her… it was supposed to be a joke.' _Hisato tried to convince himself that he was innocent, that it wasn't his fault for the way things turned out._ 'Why must the world be so cruel? I couldn't have killed her. This isn't true! It can't be!'_

By some stroke of luck, Hisato discarded his feelings of despair from his body. It was replaced with outrage.

_'That damn Monokuma thinks he can trick me? I'll show him. I'll show everyone that this isn't true; I'll prove my innocence without anyone else dying!'_

Hisato proceeded to crumple the letter into a ball. He stuffed it in his pocket furiously and faced Makoto with a surge of determination.

"I promised not to fall for Monokuma's motive. I won't share my secret. The only other alternative…" His eyes were filled with a newfound sense of boldness. "...is to end this killing game!"

With his venom-laced words still lingering in the air, Hisato left the gymnasium to go forth with his declaration.

* * *

A few hours have passed since most of the students revealed their secrets. It was nighttime, meaning the student rule of not going out at night was in effect.

Of course, no one really cared about it. Such was the case for Chihiro Fujiisaki. The Ultimate Programmer left the bathhouse ten minutes ago after putting the finishing touches on the laptop.

The A.I she's been working on for a few days now was fully complete right before Monokuma told them to go to the gymnasium.

Currently, Chihiro sat on her bad and looked at the clock. It was half past midnight. She twirled the hem of her skirt. Several tears shed from her eyes as she sniffled.

She hadn't felt this scared in all her life. Those kids who called her names and pushed her around… they couldn't compare to Monokuma combined.

Years and years of feeling like an outcast, she could deal with. What she couldn't handle was what was to come tomorrow. Everyone was going to know her terrible secret.

Chihiro envisioned everyone laughing at her. She was never going to hide from this. Everywhere she went the constant reminder of her lack of strength followed her.

She needed to get stronger. The only way to overcome her fear was to fight it head on. Then she wouldn't be afraid once it was time to tell everyone. Her secrets was getting revealed no matter what tomorrow, so she at least wanted to choose how it will play out.

Chihiro wiped her tears from her eyes. She approached the door and took a deep breath.

_'I can do this! I-I can be strong enough to tell him… he wouldn't make fun of me. W-we're friends.'_

Chihiro had a person in mind to ask them how to get stronger. She trusted them not to treat her any differently. At least, that's what she hoped.

_'I-If he doesn't accept me… I don't know what I'll do.' _Chihiro clenched her chest tightly, feeling as if someone stabbed her with a knife. She hated this feeling. It would only intensify if she got rejected by the one whose opinion she valued the most.

The Ultimate Programmer opened the door and embarked on an emotional journey to their room.

As she got closer, her heart beat so fast she thought it was going to explode. This was going to be her biggest test of strength in all her life. It's going to determine whether or not she'll have the strength to be her true self.

Chihiro now stood outside the individual door. On the nameplate, it read: **Hisato**. His eight-bit version of himself from the nameplate stared at her.

She knew he was inside bright and awake. Chihiro hadn't witnessed Hisato ever close his eyes for a minute of rest the past few days. Hisato had insisted on letting her sleep in his room for extra precautions in case she got caught working on the laptop.

He cared for her. She didn't have anyone like that in her life besides her dad. Thinking about all the kind things Hisato's done for her made her chest warm. A red hue dusted her cheeks.

_'Sasaki-sama… please accept me for who I am!' _Mustering every single ounce of courage within her, Chihiro pressed the doorbell.

Nothing.

She pressed it again.

Still nothing.

"S-Sasaki-sama?" Third times a charm.

Nothing yet again. Chihiro grabbed the door knob and jiggled it in hopes of catching his attention.

_'O-oh! I forgot!' _Chihiro berated herself for forgetting that Hisato instructed her to use a secret doorbell pattern so he'll know it was someone he trusted.

**Ding! Ding! **Pause. **Ding! Ding! Ding!** Pause. **Ding!**

No response.

Something is definitely wrong. There was no way he wouldn't answer at this point. Chihiro started to worry. She worked up all her courage and he wasn't even there to begin with.

_'Sasaki-sama likes to walk around the school. I'll find him here somewhere!' _She recalled Hisato telling people that he liked wandering around the school to freshen his mind after Leon's trial.

Chihiro spent the next half hour searching the first floor. She searched every area that wasn't locked at night. It was futile. He wasn't anywhere in the first floor.

_'M-maybe he visited someone's dorm for the night.'_ Chihiro thought about who's dorm he'd visit. Hifumi was out of the question since Hisato expressed how uncomfortable he felt being in the Ultimate Fanfic Creator's dorm.

She first visited Junko's room. Pressing the doorbell, Chihiro waited for the door to open.

Much to her relief, it did.

"Fujisaki? What are you doing out so late?" Junko asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. For some strange reason, she was breathing heavily.

Chihiro ignored it. "I-I can't find Sasaki-sama anywhere! I think something happened to him…" She whimpered, shutting her eyes.

She opened them soon after when the door suddenly closed. She thought Junko didn't care, but saw that she was outside the hallway with her.

"Let's go find him then," She said with a serious tone.

Chihiro filled her in. She told her that she couldn't get him to come out even with the secret passcode and she searched the whole first floor.

"I think you were on the right track. He may be hiding in someone's room shagging them. Typical boys," Junko sighed. She looked diagonally across the hall. "Maizono and Sato-chan have gotten along a bit too well lately. Let's go interrogate her."

The two went outside Sayaka's room and rang the doorbell. She opened the door, getting into a defensive stance until she saw that it was just them.

"Hey crazy, is Sato-chan in there butt naked?" Junko asked bluntly.

Sayaka didn't have the energy to blush at her question. She had been getting ready to sleep. "No… he isn't here." She opened her door fully to prove her innocence.

"Great. He can't be here then. We have to go check the second floor." Junko left without so much as a goodbye.

Sayaka frowned at her rude behavior before glancing at Chihiro.

"I-If you don't mind we could really use your help finding Sasaki-sama."

Sayaka's eyes widened. "Sasaki-kun's missing? We should hurry." She grabbed Chihiro small hand and hurried her along to the stairs leading up to the second floor.

Chihiro questioned the relationship between Hisato and Sayaka. The Ultimate Pop Sensation was quick to accept her request. One wouldn't normally appreciate being told to walk around at night given their circumstances.

They arrived at the second floor and spotted Junko closing the door to a classroom. She shook her head, signaling that he wasn't in there.

"About time you two got here. Let's go check the rest the floor together." Safety in numbers is the best option. Splitting up at night could potentially catastrophic.

The library was empty. Byakuya had left prior to their arrival. The classroom near the library also contained no signs of someone being there.

"He has to be in the boy's locker room. I can't think of anywhere else he'll be," Junko said, frustrated. "None of us can get in there though. We might have to go wake up one of the guys."

Hearing that, Chihiro rushed to the locker room area ignoring Junko and Sayaka's cries.

She pushed past the doors and slammed herself against the boy's locker room door.

"Fujisaki-san! We can't get in… there…? Sayaka called out to Chihiro when she and Junko entered but stopped halfway when she saw Chihiro open the door with her e-handbook.

"F-Fujisaki!?" Sayaka's jaw dropped all the way to the ground. Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer, just opened the boys locker room door with her own e-handbook.

She exchanged looks with Junko, who was equally baffled.

"That's her… no, _'his'_ secret." Sayaka realized what this meant. Chihiro Fujisaki wasn't a girl, he was a _'boy.'_ He was dressed like a girl and pretended to be one.

That's why he didn't share his secret when everyone was at the gym. It was the last thing Sayaka expected. She hadn't considered the possibility once.

Sayaka and Junko's thought process came to a sudden halt when a scream surfaced.

"Fujisaki!" The two girls couldn't do anything but stand outside the boy's locker room. The rules strictly prohibited them from entering. Thankfully, the door was open so they tried their best to see if they can find Chihiro.

Chihiro was staring at something. His small body, funnily enough, blocked their view.

After a minute had passed, Chihiro screamed again and ran out of the pool area, out of the locker room, and left the pool area entirely. He left all of the door opened for all to see.

As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. Sayaka and Junko couldn't help but look at the pool from outside the door now that Chihiro wasn't blocking the view.

They wished they hadn't.

The world had a funny way of working. A minute ago, everything was normal. The next, chaos ensured.

Everyone promised that an incident would never happen again. People went out of their way to destroy the motive, and yet…

Another disaster took place.

The second nightmare of their stay at Hope's Peak Academy forced its way in and changed their daily life into…

A deadly life.

Blood splattered the edges of the pool. A bloody pool noodle that was abnormally shaped weirdly rested on the ground.

A body was floating in the pool, surrounded by a massive pool of blood that infected the clear water. The body was covered in a massive black layer of clothing, leaving the identity of the person a mystery.

There was no doubt about it, someone was killed in cold blood.

**Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!**

The intercom sprung to life.

**"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"**

With that, the killing game continued.

* * *

**Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!**

Makoto sluggishly stirred from his sleep. The constant ringing of his doorbell awoke him.

After his blurry vision readjusted, he looked at the clock. It was two in the morning. Who could be at his door at such a late hour?

He got up and trekked closer to the door. He opened it and was confronted by Kyoko.

Makoto yawned, "Kirigiri-san? Why are you-"

"Someone's been murdered." Kyoko wasted no time in filling him in on what he missed.

His heart sank.

"W-what?!"

"We're gathering everyone that slept through the announcement. We have to get going." Not giving him a choice to mourn the death of one of their friends, Kyoko grabbed his arm and yanked him out of his room.

Sakura, Hina, Celeste and Byakuya were outside, waiting for everyone else to come out.

Byakuya impatiently tapped his foot. "Is this everyone? We've waited far too long for these lazy heavy sleepers."

"I got these two up." Taka came by with a drowsy Hifumi and Hiro in tow.

"You still haven't told us what happened dude. Why are we all up?" Hiro grumbled, rubbing his tired eyes.

"I was having such an awesome dream too," Hifumi added in, drool leaking from his mouth.

Kyoko, being the only one awake and present for the entire announcement filled them in.

"There was an announcement not too long ago." Kyoko paused. "Someone's been killed."

A chorus of gasps and cries followed.

"Hm. It doesn't help that around half of us are still missing." Byakuya hummed. "Have you done your absolute best to wake them up?"

Hina nodded. "I tried getting Fujisaki-chan, Enoshima-chan, and Maizono-chan but they didn't open the door."

"I went to Sasaki's door. He wouldn't open it either." Sakura chimed in.

"Bro didn't answer as well." Taka had a worried look on his face. "Everyone split up and find our friends!"

Not needing to be told twice, the nine students dispersed. Everyone but Byakuya went in pairs and searched the school's two available floors.

Hina and Sakura tried ringing their doorbells again.

Celeste and Taka covered the dormitory section of the first floor.

Byakuya went to check the library.

Hifumi and Hiro went to the other half of the first floor.

Makoto looked around and saw only Kyoko remained.

"I guess that makes us partners." The lavender-haired girl simply inclined her head. "I think the best place to start is the second floor. There's a lot of people checking this floor."

Kyoko didn't say anything. She moved forward, following his lead.

The two climbed up the stairs to the second floor.

However, once they arrived, Makoto felt a tingling sensation come from his lower midsection.

His cheeks flushed brightly. "Uh… Kirigiri-san? I-I need to use the bathroom real quick," He said, embarrassed.

Kyoko didn't share his feelings of discomfort. "Go make it quick. The bathroom isn't too far from here."

"Right!" Makoto sprinted to the boy's restroom.

His hand rested on the bathroom door. All he had to do was push it and run straight to the urinal. Simple enough.

However, Makoto didn't move an inch. He didn't know why but a dread of anxiety suddenly overwhelmed him. His heartbeat thumped heavily. It was only supposed to be a trip to the bathroom, a regular routine in anyone's day.

_'W-why am I getting nervous? I've never had any issues going to do my business.'_ Despite questioning his body's strange response to the bathroom, Makoto found the strength to open the door.

He saw…

Blood splatter could be seen staining the side of the sink. The blood dripped down to the floor, which was a part of a trail of blood moving forward.

The amount of blood increased as the trail finally ended, showcasing a body. A body laid on their side, encasing their clothes and skin with blood.

Laying in a puddle of their own blood was Hisato Sasaki, the Ultimate Schemer's still body.

"What?" Makoto blinked several times, checking to see if this was real. It couldn't be. Hisato was the smartest person he knew. There was no way he went and got himself killed. It was impossible.

Hisato even proclaimed that he was going to end the killing game. Those were big words for someone to back up, but Makoto knew if there was anyone who could do that it'd be Hisato. It was in his nature to always fulfill his objectives.

_'So why…?'_

Makoto stared at Hisato's body again. The reality of the situation finally weighed down on him.

And once it did, Makoto let out a fierce scream louder than he had ever raised his voice before.

Kyoko and Byakuya rushed to the boy's bathroom first as they were the closest to the location.

"Sasaki?!" Byakuya expressed genuine confusion, seeing him at this state. He didn't expect Hisato to be out of the killing game this early. That was supposed to fall under his hands.

Kyoko saw Makoto on the floor unconscious. He most likely passed out after seeing the body.

"The body announcement must have been for Sasaki." Byakuya's shock transformed into amusement. He burst in a fit of chuckles. "Big talk is all you hear from this idiot, now look at him. Dead as a doornail."

"It's not the time to gloat, we have to get the others and figure out who discovered his body first." Kyoko glowered at the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, not appreciating his taunts one bit.

"Fine. You keep an eye on those two." Rolling his eyes, Byakuya left to tell everyone to come upstairs. Sure he rather go straight to investigating but watching over Makoto wasn't to his liking.

Kyoko sighed. She grabbed Makoto by the shoulders and leaned him against the wall so no one would trample over him.

When she finished, the door slammed open. Instead of Byakuya though, she caught a glimpse of blue hair.

"We heard screaming! What's going on?!" Sayaka cried out worriedly. Her eyes immediately fell on Hisato and she let out a shrill shriek.

"Not you too! What the hell is going on in…" The annoyed voice of Junko followed. The pig tailed girl poked her head in and turned pale instantaneously.

"...here?"

She gawked at Hisato's unmoving body, unable to believe what she was looking at.

"Huh?" Junko blinked. She rubbed her eyes, thinking that her mind was playing tricks on her. It was late after all.

However, Hisato's body was still there as plain as day.

"S-Sato-chan?" Junko slowly moved forward. Her eyes were dead set on Hisato the entire time.

Sayaka's legs gave up on her and she fell to her knees. Her hands instinctively went over her mouth.

Kyoko's expression hardened. "I'm sorry. I know you were all close to each other. I assume you two and someone else triggered the announcement?"

Junko's face lit up in realization. "N-no! We triggered the body announcement in the pool area! If nothing played for Sato-chan then he must still be alive!"

She knelt down beside Hisato and checked for a pulse. It was very faint, but otherwise still there.

Kyoko joined her, in the middle of inspecting his fatal wound. "He may not have much time left if his wounds aren't treated."

Junko nodded. She got up and turned the handles on the sink. No water came flushing out.

_'That's right. Water is off during nighttime. Maybe if I-'_

"Wait a minute." Kyoko discovered something crucial. "There aren't any fatal wounds. The blood splatter here also doesn't match up with a blow to the head. Give me some paper towels."

Sayaka was the closest so she handed her some paper towels.

Kyoko wiped off the blood from the back of his head. Her theory turned out to be correct. No more blood poured from the original source of the impact.

"What kind of sick joke is this?" Hisato's unconsciousness was very much real; however, his _'death'_ was a setup. Someone went out of there way to knockout Hisato and create a fake murder.

One thing still bugged her. Why was he in the second floor bathroom of all places?

Just then, the door opened for the second time. This time everyone came rustling in to see the body.

"This is not what triggered the body discovery announcement." Kyoko immediately informed them before panic arose. "As Enoshima-san and Maizono-san said, the body is in the pool."

"Sasaki isn't dead then?" Byakuya said with a hint of disappointment. "Nevermind that. If the body is in the pool then that's where I'm going."

He exited the bathroom.

"He isn't seriously injured. You all can go ahead." Kyoko told everyone present. They were hesitant to leave after seeing Hisato's state, but they took Kyoko's word and followed Byakuya to the pool area.

Junko and Sayaka remained.

"We can take things over from here. You're way more useful at this investigating crap," Junko said truthfully.

Kyoko's brow rose. She gazed at Sayaka, who nodded in agreement.

If it was just only Junko volunteering, she'd have declined the suggestion in a heartbeat. Since she offered her and Sayaka to watch over Makoto and Hisato, it made her feel more relaxed.

The past events regarding Hisato and Leon came to mind. Absolutely no one would try and work with someone in a murder after that incident.

"Don't leave this bathroom under any circumstances. Someone may tamper with evidence." Kyoko definitely planned to investigate the bathroom in hopes of learning who set this all up.

When Kyoko departed from the area, Junko sat on the ground. Sayaka did the same.

"W-who do you think…" Sayaka didn't need to finish her sentence for Junko to understand what she was asking.

"Think about it. Minus Fujisaki, who was the only person not there?"

Sayaka tried to recount who was present when everyone gathered in the bathroom. Only one person fit the picture.

"O-oh… I thought they'd survive longer…" Sayaka hugged her knees closer to her. Another person died. Getting rid of the motive did the exact opposite of its intended purpose.

The only good thing that came out of it was it narrowed down the suspects to the individuals that refused to share their secrets. Those were Mondo, Celeste, Junko, Chihiro, and Hisato.

Three people could be crossed from that list. Junko and Chihiro were there with her when the body discovery announcement went live, so it couldn't have been either of them. Considering Hisato's state, it was downright impossible for him to have done it.

Sayaka planned to pry information from Celeste and Mondo during the investigation. The least she could do after the last trial is to help find the killer.

"H-Hng…"

"He's regaining consciousness." Junko caught Hisato beginning to stir and went to assist him. She allowed him to lean against her body and helped him get back on his feet.

"Dammit… that shit hurt…" Hisato buried his face in Junko's shoulder, unintentionally pushed her to the wall. His bloodied face stained her clothes.

Now fully standing straight, Hisato removed his face from her shoulder and looked straight at her. His vision was hazy, so it took a minute until he could get a clear picture of who he was pushing against the wall.

"Huh…?" Hisato's hand touched her cheek briefly. His eyes were filled with a mixture of confusion and relief.

"Mukuro-chan? Thank god it's you…" Dismissing her shocked face, he brought her in for a hug.

"M-Mukuro?"

For the second time that night, Sayaka's jaw dropped down to the floor. Another secret accidentally disclosed.

Junko Enoshima wasn't actually Junko Enoshima.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kyoko and the rest of the students headed inside their separate locker rooms in order to gain access to the pool.

The smell of blood entered her nose. Its aroma came from the pool that was now filled halfway with blood.

The school rules were adamant about not entering the pool during nighttime. It's possible that the victim forgot this, but the evidence left highly contradicted that theory.

"It's no use." Byakuya shook his head. "The body can't be identified from each angle given. Our only option is to ask Monokuma for help without breaking the school rules."

"Help? If you want help then I'll be glad to assist my precious students!" Monokuma yelled from above.

The bear jumped and performed an oddly magnificent flip before diving into the pool. The splash was big, forcing everyone to back off to avoid getting hit by the bloody water.

"Principal down…" Monokuma sank all the way down the bottom of the pool. His circuits malfunctioned to the point beyond repair.

The body in the pool floated towards the edge. Kyoko was the first to move forward, not concerned of the splash.

Kyoko stretched her arms out forward and grabbed the body once it was close enough. She carefully moved it closer so that it hit the side of the pool, that way everyone will get a clear view of who it is.

Without missing a heartbeat, Kyoko lifted the coat off the body.

The body belonged to none other than Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Bike Gang Leader.

**Surviving Members: Thirteen remaining**


End file.
